NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is best remembered for his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, playing alongside Kobe Bryant. However, the four-time NBA champion spent an important part of his career with the Miami Heat, where he won his fourth and final NBA title. It seems Big Shaq’s influence is still very much prevalent in the team from South Beach. Prior to one of their most important games of the postseason, one of the Heat’s players sported a t-shirt endorsing one of Shaq’s many lucrative investments.

Tyler Herro, one of the stars of the Heat roster, sported a stylish t-shirt that made a bold claim as a joke.

Miami Heat star represents Shaquille O’Neal and his franchise

It is no secret that Shaq is a lover of food and fast food, in particular. The 15-times NBA All-Star took his love for food and business to the next level in 2019, when he invested about $7 million in Papa John’s. 

Papa John’s was already one of the biggest fast-food chains in the United States of America. Following Shaq’s involvement, their popularity and sales increased by leaps and bounds.

Recently, Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat wore a very interesting t-shirt about a very popular new dish in the Papa John’s franchise. It is the Doritos Cool Ranch Papadia.

The t-shirt worn by Herro read, “The Doritos Papadia was my idea.” Interestingly, it is not only Herro who sported the t-shirt. New York Knicks star Josh Hart also sported the same t-shirt before the Knicks’ crucial game 5 victory over the Heat. Safe to say, Shaq’s $7 million investment in Papa John’s has certainly left a mark in the NBA world.

This has turned out to be a clever marketing strategy by the pizza joint. Multiple celebrities, including DJ Khaled, have joined in on the joke claiming they invented the new dish.

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On the other hand, Hart is quite the connoisseur of funky and unique t-shirts. During the Knicks’ first-round playoff clash against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hart wore a special Jalen Brunson t-shirt after the latter dropped a masterclass.

The Heat can make it to back-to-back Eastern Conference finals

The Miami Heat entered the 2023 NBA playoffs as one of the underdogs in the East. Despite having a good team, they had a dismal performance in the regular season and finished 8th in the Eastern Conference.

The first big upset in the hands of the Heat came against the Milwaukee Bucks. Led by Jimmy Butler, the 8th seed beat the 1st seed in a historic matchup.

In the second round of the playoffs, the Heat is currently leading 3-2 against the New York Knicks. As game 6 approaches, the team from South Beach has the opportunity to knock the Knicks out and make it to their second consecutive Eastern Conference finals.

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Do you think the Miami Heat can make it to the Eastern Conference finals? Let us know in the comments below.