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Shaquille O’Neal Is in Love After $14 Million Blockbuster’s Rebirth Turns TNT Employees Into Laughing Stock

Published 01/08/2024, 12:28 AM EST

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Shaquille O’Neal is living his musical dreams vicariously and dragging his besties into it too. After the debut of Shaq-Kon, we have Big Shaq X now. Complete with the entire TNT crew involved in the fun. His new favorite content creator has struck again with another guaranteed hit. And DJ Diesel had to flaunt it. “i’m in love with @happycat.1989 she is a monster with these videos,” he wrote to give Holly B., an AI creator on TikTok, commendations for her newest work – a reworked version of Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” with Shaq&Co.

Not only is mosquito-voiced Shaq singing the chorus and his Lakers era face is plastered on the OG, the rest of the Inside the NBA analysts are in there too. This is the closest we can get to Kenny “The Jet” Smith throwing it back though it’s in the version of a teen girl. Charles Barkley got the Billy Ray Cyrus treatment with a full mane of hair and a cowboy hat. Ernie Johnson also got country-fied as the accompanying instrumentalist on his washboard.

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Shaq is a platinum-selling game-changing athlete-rapper. But Lil Nas X is no less. With Grammy Awards and more records to his credit, 24-year-old Montero Hill transformed a genre – no matter how much one argues “Old Town Road” is not country. The benefits of being a trailblazer is making $14 million pre-tax off “Old Town Road” as of 2020 and landing on the Forbes 20 Under 20 list for Lil Nas X. And he only spent $50 to make the song.

WATCH THIS STORY | Shaquille O’Neal’s Glaring Error in Rare Talent Flex Immediately Exposed by Angel Reese

It probably cost Shaq a couple of minutes DMing Holly B. with a request at most. Lil Nas X probably won’t mind the Shaq version either. He goes way back with his fellow artist. They were spotted partying with Diplo in a Las Vegas nightclub in 2022. Lil Nas X’s discography is also part of DJ Diesel’s sets which he once performed at his Super Bowl event, Shaq’s Fun House in 2022. Merely including his artist friends in his sets aren’t enough for Mr. O’Neal. He has to be them.

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Shaquille O’Neal also ‘Shaq’s That’

Before the debut of Big Shaq X, Holly B had stolen the Big Aristotle and the Internet’s attention for her Shaq-ified version of Akon’s 2006 club athem “Smack That.” Except his version is called, “Shaq that,” and it contains O’Neal’s butchered mispronounced lyrics.

The original Shaq version of “Smack That” featured in Inside the NBA’s popular segment, ‘Shaqtin the Fool’ when Kevin Love slapped Larry Nance’s butt during a game. The AI-generated HappyCat creation showed only young O’Neal on Akon’s face to go with the 2024 version.

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Fans were floored with the Akon version. Big Shaq X makes them want to cut him from the Internet. What are your thoughts on his latest hilarity?

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Written by:

Caroline John

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I was 7 when I saw 'Space Jam' but didn't know till the third rewatch the lead actor is actually a living basketball legend. It was while studying journalism that my friend would go on about the Warriors from Golden State. Keen on athletes' personas outside their arenas, it was Stephen Curry's confidence and philanthropy that drew me to follow the news on NBA pros and explore sports media.
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Edited by:

Aakash Nair