A while back, during a segment on Inside the NBA, the crew reacted to a highlight reel of Devin Booker making a challenging shot during a Suns-Pelicans game and then giving a babysitter sitting courtside a fist bump. After watching the clip, Shaquille O’Neal joked that his son would have been in the skybox if he had done that. Charles Barkley instantly responded with a half-joking remark that Shaq would require a full section of the arena for his children because he has 17 of them. Very recently, Shaq addressed this resurfaced claim with a 3-word message.

During the latest episode of Shaq’s Big Podcast, co-hosts Spice Adams and Nischelle Turner brought up the topic of Barkley always saying that Shaq has 17 kids. While the ‘Big Daddy’ himself has never said anything about this, this time he made a short but crisp remark to address the claim. 

Shaquille O’Neal addresses the claim that he has 17 kids

In a recent episode of Shaq’s podcast, Nischelle Turner and Spice Adams joined the basketball legend to discuss a clip where Nick Cannon half-jokingly said that he would consider having Taylor Swift’s baby. This clip triggered a discussion in the panel about Shaq emulating Cannon’s baby-making spree.

Meanwhile, Spice Adams brought up Charles Barkley’s famous joke that Shaq has 17 kids. Even Nischelle Turner quipped that Shaq might have 25 kids, to which Adams added that Chuck’s estimate might be killing Nick Cannon’s numbers. However, Shaq’s response to the topic was a three-word remark that only added to the speculation surrounding his family.

He said, “You never know“, and added that no one knew how many babies he had. Despite Nischelle Turner’s attempts to shift the conversation back to Nick Cannon’s comments about Taylor Swift, Shaq swiftly shrugged off the topic, saying, “I’m not doing this, I’m not talking about Taylor Swift.”

Shaq has had many relationships with many popular women over the years. But there have never been any rumors or reports of any unknown children that he might have fathered.

How many kids does Shaq have?

Shaquille O’Neal has six children, four with his ex-wife Shaunie Henderson, one with his ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh, and a stepson from Shaunie’s previous relationship. All of Shaq’s children have accomplished a lot in their lives and made their dad proud in one way or another. The 51-year-old’s eldest child, Taahirah, has made her dad proud by making her own way in the professional world.

Read more: “Dang! Who Took These?”: Months Into Ex Wife’s New Marriage, Shaquille O’Neal’s Kids Go Gaga Over Mother Shaunie’s Latest Photos

Shareef, Shaqir, Amirah, and Me’arah are among Shaq’s children as well, most of them following in their father’s footsteps to make a mark in the world of basketball. Shaq’s stepson, Myles, has also achieved success as a model and a musician. Shaq shares joint custody of his 4 kids with his ex-wife Shaunie, who married pastor Keion Henderson last year in a beautiful destination wedding.

Watch this story: Shaquille O’Neal’s bizarre pre-game ritual from his magic days