Watch: Shaquille O'Neal shares viral clip of Coco Gauff dancing at US Open 11 years before her iconic win
Coco Gauff beat Aryna Sabalenka to win the US Open and NBA hall-of-famer Shaquille O'Neal has given her the recognition that she deserves. Gauff beat her opponent in three sets to secure her very first Grand Slam singles title.
This is an incredible achievement for one of tennis' rising stars especially considering that she is only nineteen years old. Gauff definitely has a bright future ahead of her and her fans have a lot to look forward to but right now, everyone is just enjoying her incredible accomplishment.
As part of the celebration for Gauff, a page on Instagram named theshaderoom shared a clip of the tennis star dancing at the US Open in 2012 when she was only eight years old to show what a full-circle moment this is for her.
The clip was also shared by Shaquille O'Neal in his Instagram stories as a show of support for Coco Gauff.
As one of the most prominent athletes in the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal has been known to show that he supports young athletes who are coming up the ranks regardless of their sport.
He occasionally posts Instagram stories, or talks about a young up-and-comer during his guest appearances on podcasts.
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Shaquille O'Neal posted after Team USA's loss to Germany at the FIBA World Cup
Aside from showing support, Shaquille O'Neal has also been critical of failure, especially in the NBA and basketball in general. He usually provides expert analysis and criticism on 'Inside the NBA' with his co-hosts Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith.
However, since it is the off-season, the NBA-centric show is also currently not airing, so he has not been able to share his thoughts on Team USA's loss at the hands of Germany at the FIBA World Cup tournament.
Shaq shared his reaction in an Instagram post instead of an expert analysis. He simply posted the final score with the caption "dam gina."
Younger NBA fans might not remember, but Shaq won a couple of gold medals as part of Team USA long before he ever won a championship with the LA Lakers.
In 1994, O'Neal was recruited to join a loaded Team USA roster that featured players like Reggie Miller, Alonzo Mourning, Joe Dumars, and Dominique Wilkins. The stacked roster would go on to win gold. Shaq averaged 18 points and eight rebounders per game, which helped him secure the MVP award.
Later on, he also played in the 1996 Olympics and brought home another gold for Team USA.