Shaquille’ O’Neal recently shared a Drake meme on his social media profile, and he has now made it clear that he wasn’t making fun of the rapper.
During an episode of The Big Podcast With Shaq that went live on Friday (June 28), the NBA legend took a moment to set the record clear regarding something he posted on his Instagram Stories earlier this week.
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Soundtracked by a rendition of the “BBL Drizzy” jab popularized by Metro Boomin, the image featured the retired athlete holding a woman wearing a bikini — her face, however, had been edited and swapped with that of the 6 God.
“Let me apologize right quick,” the 52-year-old began. “The mistake I made was I should’ve said ‘Who did this?’ […] Listen, Drake has a great sense of humor, so I thought it was funny that they did it.
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“Like I saw ‘Shaq’s Trolling’ — no, I’m not trolling. I didn’t Photoshop it; somebody Photoshopped it […] I thought it was funny and, hopefully, [Drake] thought it was funny too. But once it went viral, I definitely took it down.”
Listen to the Lakers icon discuss the misunderstanding at the 32:47 mark below:
Drake’s ongoing feud with Kendrick Lamar has put a number of people’s loyalty to test, and the Canadian superstar seemingly shaded those who’ve left his side in a recent social-media post.
Last week, K.Dot hosted and performed to a sold-out crowd at his “Pop Up” Juneteenth show in Inglewood, California. During said event, the Compton native played a number of his diss tracks aimed at Drizzy, such as “euphoria” and “6:16 in LA.”
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The set climaxed with him performing “Not Like Us” five times in a row as the crowd sang along to it word for word. Among the thousands turning up in the crowd was basketball star LeBron James, who has been a close friend and supporter of the Toronto native since the latter broke into the music industry.
Hence, people online are now suspecting that the “Hotline Bling” hitmaker was throwing shade at the 20-time All Star when he took to his Instagram Stories soon after the gig, posting a mirror selfie in which he could be seen wearing what appears to be a Cleveland Guardians jersey with the words “Summer League” stamped over the image.
This could’ve potentially been a reference to LeBron’s turbulent relationship with the city of Cleveland, where he played for a total 11 seasons and even won a championship.
His initial stint with the Cavaliers, however, was not successful, as he left after his first seven seasons to join the Miami Heat back in 2010, which is still considered one of the most controversial moves in sports history. He returned for his final four years in Ohio back in 2014 — a tenure that included a championship at the end of the 2015–16 season.
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With the official 2023–24 NBA season having wrapped up earlier that week, the Summer League is set to commence next month. Moving forward, it appears that the Drake has rethought his allegiances.
