Is Shaquille O’Neal Related to Actor Bill Bellamy?

NBA going Hollywood is nothing new, especially during events like the All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. The courtside seats filled with A-list Hollywood celebrities almost resemble a red carpet rendezvous. If anything more, some NBA players also have ties in the film world. One such is Shaquille O’Neal‘s relationship with famed actor Bill Bellamy. During his latest appearance for an interview with DJ Vlad, the comedian spoke about his family and his relationship with the basketball legend.

Bellamy is Shaq’s cousin on his mother’s side. This revelation garnered hilariously shocking reactions from fans. Or maybe Bellamy knows how to make it funny. When asked about the 4x NBA champion, Bellamy said that the duo didn’t get enough time.

“It was interesting because Shaquille moved around a lot, you know what I’m saying? So it wasn’t as close as I would have liked because with his stepfather and the way they was moving in the military, he was in New York for two, three years and then he’s gone. Now they in Texas,” Bellamy said. 

The two were born in New Jersey and went to the same school, Seton Hall Preparatory School. Previously, the Lakers legend revealed that due to his stepfather Phillip Arthur Harrison’s job as an Army sergeant, the O’Neal family had to travel a lot. That explains Bellamy’s statement. Following this, the actor explained that while the two may not have gotten as close as he wanted, they both reached success at the same time.

“I’m on MTV when Shaquille was coming in the league and it literally came full circle we was like, ‘Yooooo we here.’ It was electric. Next thing you know, we feel like we both representing Jersey to the fullest we did Reebok commercial, Pepsi commercials. Like you can go online and see we did a bunch of stuff together cuz we literally was rocking out at the same time. Our campaigns were running simultaneously so it’s pretty cool,” Bellamy said. 

Bellamy began to gain recognition for his role as a VJ and host on MTV, while O’Neal started to dominate in the league. Bellamy’s resume includes hit shows such as MTV Jamz and MTV Beach House and more. 

Bill Bellamy hilariously describes people’s reaction

Needless to say, fans were quite shocked to find that the Big Aristotle was Bellamy’s cousin. And the comedian has a humorous way of explaining it. During his appearance in The Jennifer Hudson Show, the actor hilariously pointed out that people sometimes act as if O’Neal is exclusively his cousin, when in fact, they are cousins to each other. 

“There’s a thing why, people be tripping like he just my cousin. Like I’m his cousin too! Right? Like, don’t it go both ways?” People should be saying, ‘Yo Shaq, I can’t believe you Bill cousin.’” Bellamy said. In the same show, Bellamy shared that he is extremely proud of his cousin. “He is so cool, like, we’ve done so many great things together. And I’m just very proud of what he’s done after basketball like he is just – incredible, man,” Bellamy explained.

While it took some time for the news to sink in, many were simply excited to know about the perfect sibling duo. To those who still may have doubts about it, Shaq himself confirmed the truth. The 4x NBA champion shared a clip of the interview on his X handle to remove doubts. 

One is a star comedian, while the other enjoys comedy. It can be said that the Los Angeles Lakers legend is the funniest man without even trying. But is he right to think he is funnier than the revered comedian Bellamy?

Bill Bellamy calls Shaquille O’Neal a Teddy Bear

While the actor agrees that his cousin indeed has a good sense of humor, he believes that the big man is just a big teddy bear. “Shaq thinks he’s funnier than me. He’s a big, loving guy. You see how massive he is but he’s just a big Teddy Bear. It’s amazing how successful we both became,” Bellamy said in an interview with the News& Observer.

During the Jennifer Hudson show, Bellamy admitted “He’s (Shaquille O’Neal) super funny. Like people don’t realize it because you can’t really understand when he talking…But I know his heart.”

Bellamy is good at his cousin Shaq’s impersonation too. He was also one of the members roasting the Big Aristotle in the 2002 show, “Platinum Comedy Series: Roasting Shaquille O’Neal.” Seems like Shaq isn’t the funniest one in his family.