7'1" Shaquille O'Neal once claimed his unique size and shape stuns gorillas in zoos around the world
Being the comedic presence he is, Shaquille O'Neal never fails to amuse fans with hilarious stories. The former LA Lakers superstar once shared that gorillas in zoos across the world are stunned when they see him. Shaq hinted his unusual 7'1", 300-pound frame leaves the gorillas surprised.
During an appearance on influencer and WWE star Logan Paul's podcast "Impaulsive" last October (2022), Shaq described how gorillas in zoos act when they see him, saying:
"Every zoo that I went to in the world, all the gorillas look at me and they go crazy. You could laugh it's okay... So, I go up to them, and I mess with them and they all come to the glass."
Shaq then imitated how the Great Apes look at him. Here's the video from this segment:
Shaquille O'Neal also revealed that his antics once nearly cost him dearly. One of the gorillas named Joey in Philly almost broke the glass and fought Shaq. Here's what the TNT analyst said about this scary experience:
“They had this one albino gorilla in Philly. He almost broke the damn glass and got out. His name was Joey and when he stood up. And when he stood up he was like nine feet nine.”
Shaq hilariously responded to a question on what he would do if Joey got out, claiming he would run from there.
"I would've ran my a** off. Yeah I'm not f**king with it. Listen, I'm tough and all, but I'm not going to fight no gorilla."
Logan Paul thought Shaq could take on a gorilla, but the latter unhesitantly refused to confirm that claim.
Shaquille O'Neal was an anomaly due to his size on the court
Shaquille O'Neal is one of the greatest players and arguably the most dominant. In his prime, the NBA had to change their equipment because of his unusual strength, which led to him breaking several backboards.
Rival teams shored up their rosters with three or four centers to limit O'Neal's impact. However, he embraced his big body frame, using it to his advantage to decimate his opponents mercilessly.
Shaq casually dropped a 30-point, 20-rebound game in his prime while blocking at least two shots per game. He was a traditional big man but with the rare combination of size, strength and quick elite footwork, which made him unguardable.
Nobody could challenge him at the rim except for Yao Ming, who was five inches taller and nearly had the same body frame as Shaq. Ming was the only player to block Shaq twice in the same game.
Shaquille O'Neal remains a one-of-one when it comes to the skills he brought to the table.