Shaquille O’Neal, during his career, was one of the most dominant big men in NBA history. In fact, many even consider him to be the most dominant player ever. Regardless, the ‘Big Aristotle’ was an excellent player who used his size to his strength. Down in the low post, there was no stopping him at all. In one powerful turn, Shaq would often beat his defender for an easy finish at the rim. Additionally, Shaq was also an excellent rebounder and a powerful defender. This led to many opponents being afraid of him.

However, there have been a few occasions outside the NBA where Shaq was the victim of fear, rather than the source. One of these would come up while he was swimming alongside whale sharks back in 2020.

Shaquille O’Neal Freaks Out While Swimming With Whale Sharks

During Shark Week 2020, Shaq would pay a visit to Georgia Aquarium, where he got the chance to feed Whale Sharks and swim alongside them. While the feeding aspect was relatively easier to deal with, Shaq completely freaked out while swimming alongside the Whale Sharks.

“Holy sh*t! I was too close!” exclaimed Shaq as he came above water in a terrified state.

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Thereafter, he freaked out even more after being asked to look at a whale shark swimming right below him. Clearly, this incident caught the NBA superstar off-guard.

Shaq in the NBA

Unlike being a victim of fear while swimming with whale sharks, Shaq was the source of fear in the NBA. He was a freak of nature who possessed an uncanny combination of size, speed, and strength. It was simple for teams that had prime Shaq on their roster. All they had to do was to make sure that got the ball. The rest would be taken care of by the big man. This formula was employed by the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat, where Shaq won 4 titles in total.

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Despite there being only a few players who could put up a strong fight against Shaq, teams soon figured out that the big man had a weakness. It was his shooting. They would often foul him late in the game. This would put Shaq at the free throw line, where he often missed his shots. Despite this, the big man had a solid career. Today, he is inducted into the Hall-Of-Fame and is also a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.