"Dam, Gina" - Shaquille O'Neal comically references 'Martin' as USA get knocked out of FIBA World Cup 2023
Shaquille O'Neal was one of the many people in the basketball community to react to Team USA's shocking defeat to Germany. He kept it short and simple when displaying his amazement.
On Friday morning, Team USA battled Germany for a spot in the FIBA World Cup finals. It was a neck-and-neck matchup, with Germany winning by a final score of 113-111.
While some fans went right to bashing Team USA, Shaquille O'Neal took a different route. He posted a picture of the final score on his instagram with the caption "dam gina."
The caption is a catchphrase made famous by comedian Martin Lawrence in his sitcom 'Martin.' He would utter it to his girlfriend, Gina, whenever he was bothering her.
Following this shocking upset, Team USA will now face off against Canada is the bronze medal game.
Did Shaquille O'Neal ever play for Team USA?
During his Hall of Fame NBA career, Shaquille O'Neal sutied up for Team USA on multiple occassions. His national career almost began as a member of the Dream Team, but he was not chosen as the college player on the roster.
In 1994, Shaq was parted of a loaded Team USA roster in the FIBA World Championship. Other notable stars on the team included Reggie Miller and Dominique Wilkins.
They performed so well that they were later refered to as 'Dream Team 2.' Shaq averaged 18 points and eight rebounds in the tournament en route to landing MVP honors.
Two years later, Shaq got his chance to play in the Olympics. Team USA ended up going undefeated again, landing the star center the second gold medal of his career.
While he was part of the Olympic team, Shaq did not have the best experience. He was angry with his head coach for not getting the playing time he thought he deserved.
The 1996 Olympics would end up being the last time Shaq would suit up for Team USA. He got invitations in later years, but ended up turning them down. For him, two gold medals were more than enough.
From there, Shaq went on to become one of the most dominant forces in NBA history. Along with his gold medals, the former No. 1 pick ended up winning four championships. Three were with Kobe Bryant on the LA Lakers, and one was alongside Dwyane Wade on the Miami Heat.
Shaq debated making a return to Team USA in 2008, but ended up not doing it.