"I don't like it one bit": Kevin Hart once stopped talking to Shaquille O'Neal because he used to bully him in front of his kids
Kevin Hart and Shaquille O'Neal are close friends. Sometimes, they insult each other with impunity that some may not be able to take.
O’Neal’s trash-talking, however, wasn’t the cause of a supposed rift between the two. Here’s what the comedian had to say about why he and the basketball Hall of Fame didn’t speak to each other for some time:
“Shaq [O’Neal] is one of my closest friends. I’ve known the big fella for quite some time. Our relationship took a turn for the worse not too long back because Shaq has a habit of picking me up in front of my kids and I don’t like it.
“I don’t like it and I don’t like it one bit. First of all, I’m a dad. Respect me as a father. I’m disciplining my kids and I’m yelling. When I’m done, don’t turn around and grab me and shake me and pat me on the back ‘cause you’re taking away what I just did.”
Kevin Hart added:
“It’s very hard for me to go back and tell my kids to sit down when Shaq is telling me the same thing. I don’t like it and I stopped talking to him for a while.”
Shaquille O'Neal isn’t a stranger to Kevin Hart’s kids. They even once had a video call where the LA Lakers icon made Hart’s son, Kenzo cry. Both, however, were trying to hold back laughter during their hilarious call even if the kid was having trouble having the same good time.
During the said conversation between the two, O’Neal didn’t fail to troll Hart for his height. The comedian’s stinging words at Shaq only made the former NBA superstar laugh even harder:
(1:25 mark)
“It’s you and Yao Ming and y’all are two stupid-looking motherf**kers. Two big dumb giants. Just two n****s that can never get the size shoe for them.”
Shaquille O'Neal proved during a Jay Leno show that he could easily lift Kevin Hart
A few years after his retirement, Kevin Hart and Justin Timberlake were guests on Jay Leno’s show. From out of nowhere, Shaquille O'Neal came out of the backstage to surprise everyone but the host.
The Jumanji actor was trolling the three-time NBA Finals MVP before he came on stage. Hart was telling the audience that the retired star has nothing to do and just randomly pops out of nowhere. He noted how the basketball legend often goes to Home Depot to help just about anybody he sees there.
Kevin Hart was slightly taken aback when the audience began clapping when they saw Shaquille O'Neal. The 7-foot-1 big man shook Jay Leno’s hand before lifting Hart like the actor was nothing.
Also read: Fans react to Kevin Hart hilariously sneaking up on Shaquille O'Neal and punching him: “Kevin like the Black Hasbulla”