Shaquille O’Neal has two sides, dominant in the paint and penurious shooting percentage when it comes to free throws. Across his 19-year career, Shaq boasted a 52% free-throw percentage, ranking fifth-worst among players with over 1,200 misses. Over the years, the Hall of Famer has tried different strategies to justify it. But this time, his son Shareef, turned his father’s most famous weakness into a playful punchline—while marking a major milestone with a streetwear brand.

Shareef shared a year-old video on his Instagram story, which shows the 25-year-old and his brothers playing hoops in the streetwear brand Aphonics’ office. But it wasn’t just the video that grabbed attention or their 1-year anniversary with the brand—it was the caption.

“O’Neal type of free throw, O’Neal type of finish 😂😂😂,” Shareef wrote, playfully roasting his dad’s well-known struggles from the line.

Of course, we all know Shaq’s resume speaks for itself—15-time All-Star, four-time NBA champion, and three-time Finals MVP. But another thing we know is free throws remained his kryptonite. But Shaq has never shied away from owning it—he knows exactly why his free throws never hit the mark.

As he once told Bleacher Report, “Me having a beautiful wife and great family and friends around me, all the money I’ve got, all the things that I’ve got, a Ferrari that I just ripped the top off of and turned into a convertible, the rings I got, the two mansions on the water, a master’s in criminal justice, I’m a cop, plus I look good. So to me, shooting 40 percent at the foul line is just God’s way of saying that nobody’s perfect. If I shot 90 percent from the line, it just wouldn’t be right.”

But Shaq’s list of excuses doesn’t end there. In another classic quip, he once blamed the basketball itself.

Shaq blames his bad free throws on a faulty ball

Owing to his poor free-throw shooting, Shaquille O’Neal has often been the butt of jokes on Inside the NBA, especially from Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. Fans and analysts have blamed everything—from his awkward shooting form to his massive hands—for his struggles. But Shaq? He points the finger at the basketball itself.

Last year, on The Big Podcast, Shaq opened up about his free-throw woes, adding a new twist to the conversation. “I don’t know why I shot like that…I hope people don’t take this the wrong way. I hated the dark-skinned ball. Just don’t worry about how it sounds,” the Lakers legend said. While his struggles are comedic gold for fans, it seems they’ve been a real source of frustration for him.

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Going deeper into his unusual theory, Shaq explained his preference for the fresh-out-of-the-box balls. “The light-skinned ball…They got black balls and the yellow balls,” he shared, suggesting that brand-new, lighter-colored basketballs offered a better grip.

As for the older, more worn-out ones—the “dark-skinned” balls—they were his worst enemy on the line. In classic Shaq style, he turned his flaws into stories. And let’s admit we all love Shaq’s bizarre stories.