Shaquille O’Neal is a gift that keeps giving. The 4-time-NBA champion has a treasure trove of humorous encounters due to his light-hearted nature. From being outspoken during his playing days to providing his witty assessment as an analyst, Shaq has left his mark wherever he went.
The evergreen legend, after his retirement, has delved into several experiences in life, from being a DJ to running multiple companies. He even almost got himself arrested for his shenanigans but no one called him fake except this one time when he spoke to a girl on a dating app.
Shaquille O’Neal once deleted dating app after being called fake
On Jimmy Kimmel’s show, the host asked Shaq to disclose his online dating rumors. To which the 15-time NBA All-Star revealed that he once signed up for Tinder, a famous application for online dating, but it was not fruitful.
He started talking to a girl and asked her out on a date but got rejected as she thought he was an imposter and not the Lakers legend, Shaquille O’Neal.
O’Neal said, “I tried to make a person meet me, and they didn’t believe it was me”. He tried to justify himself but she said instead, “Shaq would never be on this”. The Big Diesel mentioned begging her to meet at the Starbucks as she was very hot but she declined.
Following the incident, he deleted his dating account. Despite the heartbreaking end, the guest’s narration made the host and audience burst into laughter.
Shaq credited IG as the “best dating app”
After the amusing incident, Shaquille O’Neal deleted his Tinder account as people confused him with an imposter and now he feels “Instagram is the best dating app.”
During his appearance on the ‘Full Send Podcast’, Shaq talked about the hardships of dating as a celebrity after divorce. The 2000 MVP said, “It’s free. I heard my good friend Gary V say that a long time ago: ‘People out there paying money for these dating apps, Instagram and TikTok, the best way to meet girls.'”
The podcast host duly agreed to Shaq’s point who by then had considerable experience in dating following his split from wife Shaunie O’Neal in 2011.
The retired athlete believes if people are treated with respect then nothing goes wrong when he was asked whether he could trust the women or not during his NBA days. This open and honest mindset has served Shaq well in his 51-years life so far, just with the exception of his Tinder match.