15 Times Shaq Proved He's the Greatest

He may not be in the NBA Hall of Fame yet—due to time restrictions and nothing else—but Shaquille O’Neal is one of the greatest things to happen in the entire history of sports. In my opinion, at least!

Not only is he one of the best players in the history of the NBA, but in nearly two decades on the court, Shaq’s personality also emerged as a force of nature. Even independently of anything he did on the court.

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost five years since O’Neal last played ball, but mostly because he never really went away. As one of TNT’s panelists on Inside the NBA, Shaq remains a constant presence in the league.

And a great one at that. Here are 15 times Shaq proved he's truly the greatest. 

Shaq's All-Star Dance Moves

The NBA All-Star weekend is still a relatively big deal, as far as this stuff goes, and even if the dunk contest will never be what it was, it was never bigger and better than when Shaquille O’Neal was routinely part of the action.

At 7'1", you wouldn’t expect Shaq to have the smooth moves of guys like Dwight Howard and LeBron James, but in 2007, he wasn’t afraid to take them both on in an impromptu dance contest. Shaq didn’t just start the contest—he won the dang thing too.

Shaq Supporting the Kids

Shaq does a lot of work for and with various charities, having done his part to raise millions over the course of his career. Of all his causes, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America is probably the one closest to his heart.

Acting as a national spokesman in 1999, he donated $1 million towards technology clubs at centers nationwide. He continues to donate his time and money to this day. Shaq is a frequent guest at events around the country for the organization and is a member of its Alumni Hall of Fame.

Shaq Using the Internet to Menace Charles Barkley

Charles Barkley, Shaq’s well-established frenemy and costar of TNT’s Inside the NBA, has absolutely no interest in entering the digital age. Not only does he have absolutely no social media presence whatsoever, beyond the countless stupid fake/parody accounts out there, but he also insists he’ll never have one. Barkley doesn’t like the mean-spirited nature of people online and has vowed to never join Twitter.

That is the prerogative of Sir Charles, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but there’s also nothing wrong with Shaq occasionally exploiting it for laughs, as he has been known to do. It actually evens out in the end for the most part, as Barkley has been known to school O’Neal for his less-than-enthusiastic delivery on TV, among other things.

Last November, Shaq capitalized on the infamous Kim Kardashian “Break the Internet” stunt with his own version featuring Barkley.

Shaq's Fish Tank Is Out of Control

Shaquille O’Neal is a big fan of…fish…and his aquarium was featured on an episode of Animal Planet’s Tanked in September 2014. In fact, it was the episode of the season, with O’Neal dishing on all the details.

According to Steve Helling of People, Shaq said, “I’m a big guy. I can’t really buy regular things and have them fit. And I’m a perfectionist. I like thing to be done right.” The massive tank was highlighted on an episode of the show that will make your fish tank look like a toilet.

Shaq and Jimmy Fallon Trade Suits

Shaquille O’Neal is the very definition of comically large. He doesn’t always look it in the presence of other current and former NBA players, whose own size doesn’t do much to put Shaq’s massiveness to scale.

As one of the first guests on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in February 2014, while promoting his new line of suits, he and Jimmy Fallon provided the perfect real-world example of just how large Big Aristotle is.

Fallon, who is approximately 6'0", tried on O’Neal's size 58 blazer, with comical results. Not only was Fallon absolutely swimming in the blazer, but Shaq also tried in vain to squeeze into Fallon’s, which might as well have been a child’s small for as well as it worked.

Shaq Stars in Kazaam

It’s not that Kazaam is the best movie ever made, because we all know darn well that it’s not, but the fact that Shaquille O’Neal was a big enough star in 1996 to get it made says something in and of itself.

Just to be clear, Kazaam has, to date, received a 6 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the worst movies the site has ever reviewed. That being said...whatever! It’s not that bad.

Shaq and Kevin Hart as Modern-Day 'Twins'

In October 2014, People magazine decided to pay homage to the 1988 (some call it classic, some call it crap) film Twins, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, with a feature in the magazine and, thankfully, some digital content online to back it up.

The modern-day perfectly mismatched pair the magazine used was just glorious—Shaq at 7'1" and comedian Kevin Hart at 5'4". It was almost enough to make you want a remake of the movie...maybe.

Shaq Calls Kobe a 'Weirdo'

Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images

Even though it’s not always demonstrated on TV, Shaq has an impressively biting wit and can be quick with the words. About a decade ago, his epic feud for the ages with former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant was at its peak.

As was/is often the case, it was Shaq doing most of the talking, and sometimes he could be downright mean. But for some reason, it was one of his seemingly most innocuous insults about Kobe that managed to cut the deepest.

According to Ethan J. Skolnick of the Sun-Sentinel, Shaq said this of Kobe: “That just shows you his character. My personal opinion is, how, if you never hung out with somebody, do you know them so well? I never hung out with that dude, because the dude is a weirdo. I knew that the whole time. He’s a weirdo.”

Shaq Bites It on 'Inside the NBA'

In May, all 7'1" and 350-plus pounds of Shaquille O’Neal took a tumble on the set of TNT’s Inside the NBA that was so legit, it was probably measured on the Richter scale somewhere.

Shaq was just trying to get up from his chair on the set and somehow got so mixed up in his microphone that, instead of casually stepping down from the set, he fell face-first and hit the stage like a ton of bricks.

Shaq Embraces Biting It #Shaqtinafall

Shaq’s tumble on Inside the NBA could have been the source of extreme embarrassment for a lesser man, but Shaq Fu wasn’t going to let a little snafu on set bring him down.

Instead of letting the whole thing get him down, Shaq saw it as an opportunity, offering up $500 for the best meme of his fantastic fall. #shaqtinafall

Shaq’s ALS Challenge

There’s no question that the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge got a little tiresome over the summer last year, but Shaquille O’Neal definitely managed to take it up a notch to three.

It’s not so much what he did with his own challenge that impressed, as was the case with hockey player Paul Bissonnette, but more the people he challenged.

Dumping a bucket of water on your head is one thing, but challenging rookie Johnny Manziel, the Reverend Al Sharpton and President Barack Obama? Well, that’s some star power.

Shaq Shares His Pedicure

One thing that makes Shaq great is his tendency to overshare in conversation or on social media. That’s not to say that everything he shares is something we want to see—in fact, sometimes it’s the exact opposite.

And there may be no more nasty an overshare than Shaq’s recent posts on Instagram about a pedicure he had in May. As if the video and photos weren’t bad enough, TMZ picked it up, making this whole mess a national “news” story.

Shaq Pays Off a Bet with Charles Barkley on 'Late Night'

In February 2012, Shaquille O’Neal appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on the road. But it wasn’t just any other appearance, as Shaq was there to pay off a bet made with Charles Barkley on Inside the NBA.

Shaq bet Barkley that the Timberwolves’ Kevin Love would outplay the Clippers’ Blake Griffin in a game played a week prior. Apparently, Griffin outscored Love 21-17, which, despite the T-Wolves beating the Clips, meant reparations had to be made.

Shaq showed up on Late Night wearing nothing but a hot-pink thong and got way too close for comfort with everyone he encountered.

Shaq Breaks the Backboard as a Rookie

After a stunning three-year career at LSU, Shaquille O’Neal was drafted No. 1 overall by the Magic in the 1992 NBA draft. In Orlando, he more than lived up to expectations for at least four seasons, including his rookie season.

It was in O’Neal’s rookie season that he first broke the backboard as a professional. The Suns were the first team to feel the fury of Mayor McShaq, as he brought down the backboard as a rookie.

Shaq Goes Toe-to-Toe with Jabbawockeez

Shaquille O’Neal staged an impromptu dance-off with Dwight Howard and LeBron James in 2007, but that was nothing compared to the not-so-impromptu dancing with Jabbawockeez that stole the show during a halftime performance at the 2009 NBA All-Star Game.

Suited up in white and grey suits and creepy white masks, Jabbawockeez actually agreed to the performance at Shaq’s request. According to Phi Nguyen, a member of Jabbawockeez, “It was all Shaq. He came up with the choreography, everything. He told us what he wanted to do, how we’d pop, lock, freeze, everything.”