Henry Cavill, Who Got Sacked From Playing Superman, Left Shaquille O’Neal in Splits With Hilarious Dig at Ben Affleck in 2016

Basketball players have a special connection with Superman, with players wanting to be the fictional superhero on-court in order to dunk with ease. Shaquille O’Neal was once bestowed with the same nickname, of ‘Superman,’ at the peak of his powers. Apparently, the Kryptonian was also his favorite character. The legendary basketball player was dunking on players and breaking backboards in the 90s. Moreover, Shaq was once in the midst of Henry Cavill, the on-screen Superman, who left the giant in splits. 

Back in 2016, the Hollywood superstars, Henry Cavill and Ben Affleck arrived on Inside the NBA to promote their upcoming movie, ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’. Charles Barkley asked the ‘Batman’ actor, Ben Affleck, how he felt playing such an iconic character.

Shaquille O’Neal in splits after Henry Cavill takes a dig at Affleck

As Affleck was answering Barkley’s question, the actor suffered a slip of the tongue as he called his character ‘Superman’. Henry Cavill, who actually played Superman in the movie took the opportunity as he made fun of the Academy Winner.

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“It’s Ok, it’s ok. One Day. One Day” said Cavill. The whole crew was in splits as Cavill showed his presence of mind while pointing out Affleck’s mistake. Shaquille O’Neal was the only person on the table who actually could’ve called himself ‘Superman’ besides Cavill.

Years later, Henry Cavill and his portrayal of ‘Superman’ didn’t have a happy ending. The actor was initially set to return for the role but was later asked to step down. Fans, however, have been huge admirers of his stint as the Kryptonian. Nevertheless, the Cavill saga has left plenty of fans confused. James Gunn of DC expressed that they were looking to focus on a younger version of the character.

Shaq in his backboard-breaking days

The seven-foot legend was a behemoth during his peak, as he used to break backboards with ease while dunking. The Los Angeles Lakers legend dunked and broke backboards so much that the NBA had to change the rules of the game. ‘The Big Aristotle’ did not just shatter the glass but also broke the support systems that held up the backboard. The NBA was forced to recheck the equipment in the league to make sure that no more rims broke. 

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