Shaquille O’Neal has always had a penchant for nicknaming greatness, and this time he did so for good reason. As the Boston Celtics marched to the Rocket Mortgage Field House today to face the  Cleveland Cavaliers, the odds were overwhelmingly in their favor. This is because the Celtics were on a historic 11-game streak, and had freshly handed Stephen Curry the largest loss in his career.

From the onset, the Cavs seemed to have a chip on their shoulder. However, despite facing a 22-point deficit with only 9 minutes remaining on the clock, the heroics of Dean Wade saved the day for Cleveland. Putting the team on his back, Wade sank 6 three-pointers in 9 attempts with an insane 66.7% accuracy beyond the arc. When the final whistle was blown, Cleveland stood victorious with an astonishing score of 105-104.

While this performance earned him the praise of the entire league, nothing beats the praise that was showered on him by Shaquille O’Neal. A short video clip on X showcased Shaq picking a new name for Dean Wade after his miraculous top-seed-defying performance against Boston. The 4x NBA Champion gave Cleveland’s savior the nickname “Venom” in a postgame show at NBA on TNT. Moreover, he also gave a clear reason for going for that name out of all the names the nomenclature expert could have given him.

Shaquille O’Neal said that Wade went “Crazy” during the match, and hence, Venom was a befitting name for the Cavalier. Interestingly, Dean is the second D-Wade who received a nickname from Shaq. The 4x NBA Championship-winning legend had named his Miami Heat teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade ‘Flash’ for his heroics during his time in the Florida Franchise.

However, this is not the only name Shaq has given over the years there are many other superstars that Shaq has christened with his unique flair for catchy nomenclature. In fact, he even gave up one of his own names to an NBA star when he saw an undying flame in him.

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When the proud Shaquille O’Neal surrendered one of his own monickers

Shaquille O’Neal may have given himself over a hundred nicknames in his career. However, Diesel is too proud to give any of his names away. However, 2018 saw Shaq transfer his nickname ‘Superman’ to Giannis Antetokounmpo. He said, “I’ve never given my name up before, but I’m giving it to him. He’s the new Superman. You heard it here first.” The mega-coronation of The Greek Freek took place on the ESPN Radio Show when Shaq was speaking with Stephen A. Smith.

Another prominent example is Hall of Famer Paul Peirce who Shaq named “The Truth”, after after a 112–107 Los Angeles Lakers victory over the Celtics on March 13, 2001, in which Pierce scored 42 points on 13-of-19 shooting. Now, Dean Wade is also one of the NBA Superstars who has been recognized by the unmistakable eye of Shaquille O’Neal. Will Venom also go on and win an NBA Championship like Antetokounmpo in the future? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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