Shaquille O’Neal, Who Just Turned 50, Once Fell for a Hilarious Kobe Bryant Prank To Promote NBA 2K18

Shaquille O’Neal is an NBA legend. How do you know that? Well, he has graced the cover of NBA 2K18 Legend Edition! Oh, and he also has spectacular stats and is revered within the basketball community. Appearing on the cover page of an NBA 2K game is no ordinary feat, let alone when one has retired from active play. But Shaquille ‘Superman’ O’Neal is anything but ordinary.

2K foresaw the potential in letting the star be the cover athlete, as Shaq was also part of a marketing campaign for the game that showcased another basketball legend alongside him. And they were successful in garnering a lot of hype around the game.

Shaquille O’Neal has a legendary announcement for fans

2K released an announcement video back in 2017 showcasing ‘The Big Aristotle’ in all his glory. It starts off with Shaq addressing reporters over the launch of the game. He mentions it is a great honor to be the NBA 2K18 Legend Edition cover athlete. On the podium, there are two copies of the game, Legend Edition and Legend Edition Gold. Each with fabulous cover art of the athlete in his younger years.

Shaq thanks his family and coaches for their support and guidance in what seems like a pretty normal message. However, this is where things take a hilarious turn. As Shaq keeps reading from the teleprompter, he seems surprised by the lines. The next person, he thanks is none other than his former teammate, Kobe Bryant.

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Suddenly, the script starts singing Bryant’s praises. A bewildered Shaq reads, “I’d like to thank Kobe Bryant. He was a NBA 2K Legend cover athlete first. He’s so awesome and handsome and has really nice natural teeth.”

Shaq exclaims, “Wait, what?” at this bizarre turn of events. At this moment, the camera cuts away to Kobe Bryant sitting behind the teleprompter, smiling at the camera.

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The hilarious twist makes for some really entertaining content. Finding out Shaq’s secret nemesis was none other than NBA 2K17 cover athlete Kobe Bryant was a stroke of genius.

Do you own the legend edition? What’s your favorite part of the video? Tell us in the comments below.