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Zach Hyman Promises Special Gift for Shaq as 7ft Giant’s NHL Playoffs Spirits Haunt TNT’s Workplace Safety

Published 04/27/2024, 8:42 AM EDT

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Shaquille O’Neal‘s antics have just earned him a promise of something special from NHL star Zach Hyman. Almost any person, even remotely interested in basketball, would have at least once heard of Shaq’s incidents of a prank or him just joking around. The most recent revelation in this regard has been made by Liam McHugh. Appearing on NHL on TNT, McHugh shared how the 7’1″ ex-NBA star is often pretending to be skating around the office.

“So at some point, we have to get him (Shaquille O’Neal) on. We’re going to bring him on to do a demo, and he is going to be our Zach Hyman in the demo,” McHugh said. Hyman supported the idea with an offer of his own equipment for the experiment. “I’ll give you my stick and then my gloves, and he can try them out,” he replied. 

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Notably, this discussion emerged after Anson Carter told Hyman that he refers to the NHL star as Shaq Hyman. Later in the episode, McHugh stated how this goes beyond just the wordplay with the name. He then revealed Shaq’s habit of pretending to skate. However, this is not the first instance of Shaquille O’Neal’s antics being revealed. There have been multiple players and other members of the sports community who have shared stories related to the LA Lakers legend.

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Some of the most popular and crazy stories of Shaquille O’Neal’s antics

Everyone knows Shaq has been one of the biggest pranksters in the locker room the NBA has ever witnessed. Moreover, there was almost nothing off-limits for the 7’1″ player when it came to pranking teammates. Speaking on similar lines, ex- Miami Heat assistant coach, Erik Spoelstra, revealed Shaquille O’Neal’s one habit during his time in the Heat when he used to run around naked in the locker room.

“He would run around naked in the locker room grabbing staff members, tackling ’em to the floor… And there was nothing you could do if you got wrapped up by him,” Spoelstra said during the Miami Heat ceremony of retiring Shaq’s jersey no. 32. However, an even nastier instance involved Shaquille O’Neal’s prank with Lou Amundson’s mouthpiece.

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“I got to shoot around early, and I saw his (Lou’s) mouthpiece… I was trying to put it in my thing, and it got lost down in that area, and I couldn’t find it… And then right before I take a shower, I was like, ‘Oh, here it is.’ And I just put it back, and I told everybody, ‘Say nothing’ … he put it in his mouth before pregame… He actually wore the whole game,” Shaq recollected the prank on a recent episode of his own podcast.

Which one is your favorite of Shaquille O’Neal’s pranks? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Khelendra Kumar Yadav

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Khelendra is an NBA writer at Essentially Sports, where he brings insightful analysis and engaging content to basketball enthusiasts worldwide. With a passion for the game cultivated from his own experiences as a basketball player, he has represented his school team in numerous tournaments, honing both skills and an intimate understanding of the sport. Khelendra holds a PG Diploma in Digital Media from a reputed university, providing him with a solid foundation in multimedia storytelling and digital content creation.
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Edited by:

Caroline Joseph