Watch: Shaquille O'Neal gives a hilarious explanation for his minor head injury; leaves TNT crew in splits
If you're a fan of the Inside The NBA Show on TNT, you would have noticed how former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O'Neal had an indifferent look about him. Diesel had a band-aid on his head and it was curious to see how he injured himself.
"I was walking and didn't see the exit sign." 😂
@SHAQ has a backstory to his new look. #NBAonTNT https://t.co/J7Uazei0AA
Shaquille O'Neal later on in the show explained how he managed to injure himself on the top of his head. Shaq said:
"I was walking and didn't see the exit sign and scraped the chicken meat off my head."
Shaquille O'Neal initially started the show with a wig on and explained that he had an injury. When asked by co-host Ernie Johnson about what his injury was, O'Neal responded with a bogus theory involving a hawk and said:
"I was leaving my house the other day and a hawk attacked me. "
Co-host Kenny Smith was curious about how Shaq managed to get a band-aid that big. Meanwhile, Johnson enquired about the extent of the injury and whether he needed stitches for it.
How good was Shaquille O'Neal in his prime?
Easily the most dominant player to play this game, Shaquille O'Neal was a force of nature during his peak years. An offensive juggernaut, Shaq had the size and the girth to handle the ball near the post against opposing big men and could also be a handful defensively.
Shaquille O'Neal entered the NBA as the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. He understandably had the expectations of the entire basketball community on his shoulders and went on to exceed them.
Shaq averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists in his career while shooting the ball better than 58% from the field. He has also recorded some of the most outrageous stat lines in the history of the league.
Shaq was putting up insane stats 🤯 https://t.co/bOPIuizWhE
After moving to the Lakers in 1996 as a free agent, O'Neal, along with Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson, went on to construct one of the most dominant teams of all time. The Los Angeles franchise won three consecutive championships between 2000 and 2002. Shaq also picked up all three Finals MVP awards in that run with the Lakers.
During the three-peat, Shaq had two NBA Playoffs series where he averaged over 35 points. The big man averaged 36.3 points and 38 points against the New Jersey Nets (now the Brooklyn Nets) and the Indiana Pacers, respectively.
Shaquille O'Neal also dropped 61 points (career high) and grabbed 23 rebounds in March 2000 as the Lakers beat the Detroit Pistons 123-103 on the night.
Shaq was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016 and not a single person could argue with that inclusion. The NBA legend retired with four championships as arguably the best player of his generation and without question one of the greatest of all time.