Image Credit: Travis Bell/ABCBasketball wasn’t enough for Shaquille O’Neal. Like Alexander the Great, he had other worlds to conquer. Last summer, Shaq challenged a Super Bowl champion, an MLB All-Star, a championship boxer, and three Olympic gold medalists. Bravely, he tried to beat them all at their own game. Bravely, he lost every match. I’m sure anyone with any profound love of sports hates Shaq Vs., but I dug the show. And I love that things are only getting crazier when season 2 starts tonight: Shaq is expanding his competitions to include a cook-off (vs. Rachael Ray), a magic-off (with Penn & Teller), a dance-off (with Justin Bieber), and more! Popwatch talked to Shaq about this season — he claims to have actually beaten someone this year — and about his hopes for future Shaq Vs. competitions. Believe nothing. Or believe everything.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: You’re expanding the competition on Shaq Vs. outside the realm of athletics. What was the spur for that change?
SHAQUILLE O’NEAL: It’s the reality of my life. I’m more than just a basketball player. I’ll challenge you, for the article.
You’re going to write better than me?
I probably can. I’m just one of those people that’s very competitive.
Last season, you had a pretty bad record in terms of losing. Are you going to beat anyone this season?
First of all, I have never lost. Second of all, yeah, I actually have already beaten somebody. Can’t tell you who. I beat two people.
Justin Bieber is about half your size. Is that an advantage or a disadvantage in a song-and-dance competition?
I think he has the advantage. These kids have all the moves. Especially the ones that are on the internet a hundred times a day.
Who’s better at Tweeting – you or Bieber?
Oh, me! [Laughs dismissively]
He has more followers than pretty much anybody.
Well, think about it. I’m 38. I have many jobs. Justin Bieber’s 15. He has nothing to do. No chores. All he does is wake up and tweet.
That’s all kids do nowadays.
That’s what I’m saying. No chores.
What kind of magic trick did you perform in your face-off against Penn & Teller?
I did the worst magic trick ever. But it looked good, and people were clapping.
What was the trick?
I separated somebody’s head from their shoulders.
Did you put them back together?
I did, but not in the right place.
Where’d you put the head?
I can’t tell you.
Do you cook pretty often? Were you able to out-cook Rachael Ray?
Oh, yeah. Dominated it. Totally dominated that show.
Is there anybody else who you’d like to face off against on Shaq Vs.?
We were trying to get ahold of a soccer team, but it didn’t work out. It’ll be season 3.
That’s you versus an entire soccer team?
I want you to print that nobody from a certain distance away on any soccer team in the world can score on me. Nobody.
What a weird item.
In the intro it says that he has a sing-off against Bieber, but in the Q&A it’s a dance contest all of a sudden.
He states that he’s never lost (obviously not true), but goes on to say that he “actually beat somebody”, and there’s no follow-up. It makes it seem like he doesn’t have a basic understanding of the concepts of winning and losing.
Finally, I don’t at all get the reasoning behind, “I’m sure anyone with any profound love of sports hates Shaq Vs.” I love sports, and I thought it was a fun show (drawn-out for sure, but still entertaining) and a really cool concept.
I think he’s just messing around with the “I have never lost” comment. I find the show pretty funny, and I appreciate athletes who don’t take themselves too seriously sometimes.
I understand that he’s kidding, and I know that Shaq is especially known as a guy who jokes around a lot.
However, by not pushing for a follow-up comment or clarification (allowing Shaq to say something like “I beat them everytime the cameras weren’t rolling” or whatever) it makes him seem a bit delusional.
(Or I could be reading too much into it…there’s that too.)
Or maybe he’s just saying, he didn’t necessarily beat the other person, but that doesn’t mean he “lost”…he gained the experience or however you want to put it.
Hey Shaq….
How bout a a face off playing Guitar vs… Jack White? That would be sooo awesome!!! LOL
“You’re going to write better than me?”
If Shaq can pose grammatically correct questions, he’s got you beat.
(For the record, you meant to ask, “You’re going to write better than I?”)
LOL I assume you’re just joking around, but for f*ck’s sake, who actually talks like that?? I’ll admit that it drives me nuts when I see “yea” instead of “yeah” or when people mix up their to/too and there/their/they’re, etc. But it’s just so lame to get on someone’s case about the grammar in their transcription of a spoken interview. Oh no, did I just use “someone” and “their”?? But…but…”their” is a plural possessive!! THE WORLD IS GOING TO IMPLODE!! Oh no, wait, that’s just conversational English. Never mind.
Steve nash is better and AthleteHookup was very good
I love the show, watching it now! Shaq is 7 feet of adorable. This is just plain fun to watch and not meant to be taken so seriously!