Celebrities in Los Angeles who had the (mis)fortune of living next door to Shaq have all kinds of stories about your friendly neighborhood Diesel. Paula Abdul got the prankster party animal Shaquille O’Neal, whose pets broke into her yard. Tom Arnold got a different Shaq if his recent standup revelation is to be believed. O’Neal’s old friend, colleague, and neighbor brought Shaq into his routine on That’s My Story which will leave you both tickled and wondering ‘Is it true?’ Arnold’s Shaq impression is not as spot-on as maybe Blake Griffin’s but this is a story worth revisiting.

It seemed to be when Shaquille O’Neal moved from Orlando to Los Angeles, before his first championship. He lived in a 15,000 sq. ft. property in Mulholland Estates, where his neighbors over the years were Wayne Gretzky, Loni Anderson, and Tom Arnold. Arnold said during his stand-up comedy special, “One of the greatest moments of my life was the day Shaquille O’Neal moved in next door to me.” He confirmed they were neighbors for eight years, the entire duration of O’Neal’s Lakers era.

As a sports fan, Arnold wanted to be friends with Shaq really badly. His opportunity came when one of Shaq’s sons – Myles or Shareef going by the timeline – came to talk to him. 6’1″ Arnold kept holding a hand above his head to demonstrate Shaq’s son was taller than him. Note, that Myles is now 6’3″ and Shareef is 6’10”.

In that interaction, the Roseanne star, who is on the spectrum, felt that the O’Neal kid might have a learning disability. So he wanted to help the kid. How? He tells Shaq’s son, “We’re putting together a team of basketball players for the Special Olympics, and we’re going to travel the Pacific Rim. And I know your daddy has worked with us before, and I’d like for you to be on the team.”

The kid takes this information home and the next thing Arnold knows, Shaq’s knocking down his front door demanding, “What you say to my boy?” O’Neal has an entire foot over Arnold and is imposing enough. The comedian was terrified to tell him that his son might have a learning disability. But when he tried to convey it, Shaq said, “He’s four.” Once Arnold realized he mistook a regular four-year-old as an adult who acts like a child, it made sense to him.

Does Tom Arnold miss neighbor Shaquille O’Neal?

Arnold is lucky he got away intact after lying to Shaq’s kid. Perhaps because they’ve worked together. Not in the Special Olympics team Arnold lied about. It was when the comedic actor developed and starred in the unconventional funny flick, The Kid & I in 2005. He managed to get his many friends to cameo, including his True Lies co-stars, Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But for some special star power, he only had to peek over the fence and call his neighbor. Shaquille O’Neal appeared in the movie as Shaq. His co-stars confirmed that Arnold personally made the calls and got A-listers + Shaq to say yes.

Because of this connection, Arnold was extremely dejected when O’Neal went to the Miami Heat. For five minutes. Once Britney Spears moved in next door, it was Shaq who?

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger