Shaquille O’Neal vs. Gronk just got a fresh twist! Months after challenging each other to throw hands, the two big guys found themselves in the same space again. This time, they bonded over their shared love of partying. Arizona’s Red-Blue Showcase is one of college basketball’s premier events, and with LeBron James’ son on the Wildcats’ roster this year, the spotlight couldn’t be brighter. Naturally, the showcase had to be larger than life, and that’s exactly where Shaquille O’Neal and Rob Gronkowski fit in.

The two mega party headliners brought the entertainment on Friday night. The pre-game festivities included a three-point contest. And then a Slam Dunk contest reminiscent of the All-Star event. But even in a basketball setup, maybe the NFL guy was more hyped than Bryce James’ Unc.

Like Mac MacClung flying over Shaq, Addison Arnold dunked a football over Gronkowski in this contest. Not to be outdone, Gronk then dunked over a mini Land Rover on the court. He later dressed up in what looked like a Ben Stiller Dodgeball Halloween costume as ‘Rocky Gronkstone’ to shoot hoops with the college kids. And when Gronk was ruling, guess where was Shaq?

Fresh off his New York adventure, Shaquille O’Neal was nowhere involved in this contest. Thankfully, too. Only 24 hours ago, Shaq confirmed he can’t dunk anymore lest he get injured! DJ Diesel was the closing act instead. He ended the Red-Blue Showcase with his headbanging set in a post-game concert that included Mix Master Mike and Lloyd. But not before catching Bryce James’ debut.

Shaq claimed he doesn’t watch college basketball, told the sideline reporter at the game, “Nice to see my nephew, Bryce, out here, Papa James, his lovely wife…” And then claimed, “We’ll do a little afterparty and then go back to where real basketball is played at LSU.” FYI, Shaq’s an LSU alum. He also has a grudge against the Wildcats, who beat the Shaq-led Tigers 87-67 in 1991.

Tragic that we didn’t get any interaction between O’Neal and Gronk. The football star was the showstopper of the night, according to the online reactions. And also because he’s an Arizona alum himself. This gives him fresh ammo to use against Shaq.

Shaq and Gronk weren’t the main acts

Don’t be mistaken. Shaquille O’Neal and Rob Gronkowski are actually friends. Shaq and Gronk are like Shaq and Chuck – they pretend they’re frenemies. They’ve turned their banter for good, too, creating a series of events to raise funds for charity. They had the most viral interaction a year ago, nearly overshadowing Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.

The duo was even in the audience at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena and supercharged with the competitive atmosphere. “Me and Gronk gonna put together NBA vs NFL,” Shaq announced last November. “Coming soon. I’m talking boxing, fighting, football, basketball.” Mind you, O’Neal has so many businesses, we can no longer tell if he’s joking or not.

Making it spicier was Gronk’s trash talk after O’Neal claimed, “I just thought of it because me and Gronk are good friends, and he challenged me to a fight.” The tight end clapped back, “I’m not really your friend. I’m ready to fight your a–.” Fans are all for it. But that ‘NBA vs NFL’ boxing match is still in the pipeline.

This is the first interaction between Shaq and Gronk since. While the NFL star was more memorable, it was Bryce, LeBron James’ son, who stole the show. This marked the freshman’s exhibition start to his first college season. With his dad and brother already in the NBA, he is undoubtedly the biggest draw in comparison to the two retired athletes.

Bryce led Team Blue, which lost 45-44 to Team Red. James finished the exhibition game with 3 points on 1-for-3 shooting from the field, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 steal with no turnovers in 18 minutes.

Point to note, this is only an exhibition game. Not his official college debut, which is next month. Shaq’s probably not going to have enough time to watch his nephew play in person since he’s got broadcasting duties as well as his two youngest kids’ own college games on either side of the country. So he was probably glad to watch Bryce do his thing at this showcase.