If Shaquille O’Neal was “shooting his shot” with Megan Thee Stallion during her Dec. 9 Instagram Live, here’s hoping it wasn’t a free throw. All basketball jokes aside, Shaq, 48, certainly raised some eyebrows when he commented during Meg’s sesh, telling the 25-year-old “Body” rapper that he was “Watching The Booty.” The moment was captured by Shaq’s 20-year-old son Shareef O’Neal, who said he “feel(s) you pops.” It turns out it was all in fun. “He is definitely a fan of Megan, but he isn’t chasing her. It was just a funny and honest comment because he does appreciate her talents,” a source tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY.
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“Shaq and his son are very close and are always joking with each other,” the insider tells HollywoodLife,” so this is very much in character for them. Shaq thinks his son’s video is hilarious, and he loves that it’s getting all this attention.” While some fathers might feel embarrassed if their sons caught them creeping on IG Live, Shaq is not. “He got a huge kick out of his son roasting him over it,” says the source. “[Shaq’s] very proud of all his kids and loves goofing around with them.”
Three little words caused such a ruckus, and a second source tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that Shaq could never have imagined the fuss people would make over what he said during Megan’s Instagram Live. “He thought his response was hysterical, and he was cracking up over the whole situation when he saw it go viral on social media. Anybody who knows Shaq knows that’s just his sense of humor and to take a lot of what he says online with a grain of salt.”
“Shaq is a kid at heart and a jokester, through and through,” a third insider tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. “He is always having fun and is the life of the party and will say things to be funny and to have fun. He has thought all along that his comment to Megan was not shooting his shot but more just to play and have fun at the moment. It was all just for the joke of it all. No harm was meant from it, or thoughts on something serious should be taken from it.”
The NBA icon was previously married to Shaunie O’Neal (née (née Nelson;) until the couple split in 2009. They finalized their high-profile divorce in 2011. Since then, Shaq has been romantically linked to Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander, Laticia Rolle, and Annie Ilonzeh. No word on whether or not Shaq’s “shot” bounced off the rim with Megan or if he inadvertently hit nothing but net.
