Shaquille O’Neal wants to reignite his old passion. For those wondering about Big Aristotle’s next venture if ‘Inside the NBA’ were to end, Shaq seems to have an answer. The Lakers legend shared a nostalgic picture with fans, dug up from his past. This action wasn’t without motivation. The die-hard fan who was “born and raised a Cowboys fan” is negotiating to ink a deal with the franchise, after Dak Prescott’s potential to secure a $70 million contract was revealed.

In the nostalgic picture, the TNT analyst, who appeared to be around 8 or 9 years old, can be seen preparing to launch a pass while his friends stood around him. The image is captioned, “shaq prescott pay me @dallascowboys.”

O’Neal isn’t just a loyal fan, he was also a talented football player. Thanks to NBA players receiving better and more lucrative deals than NFL players in the past, O’Neal chose to pursue basketball. Otherwise, we might have seen the 4-time NBA champion towering the NFL bests. 

Prescott is currently on a four-year contract with the Cowboys, which pays him $160 million. As per the reports, if the star quarterback remains patient, he could land a deal worth $70 million per season.

If Prescott does manage to secure this deal, he will surpass Joe Burrow and Jordan Love, who are currently the highest-paid quarterbacks with earnings of $55 million annually. This is certainly an enticing offer to keep Prescott with the Cowboys as he approaches the final year of his contract.

It even impressed O’Neal enough to share a never-before-seen picture.

Fans were left bewildered to see 7ft tall Shaquille O’Neal’s small stature

O’Neal was already 7 feet tall when he gained fame in the basketball scene. Fans are so used to seeing the champ’s towering figure that it’s hard for them to imagine a shorter O’Neal. “Didn’t know you were ever regular-sized,” one fan wrote in the comments, expressing awe. Another fan demanded to see his childhood pictures and wrote, “That can’t be you! We need another photo! What age did you sprout?!”

Well, naturally so. Shaq himself revealed, he would go on telling people he was Ed “Too Tall” Jones’ son because of his stature as a Cowboys fan. What age exactly, we wouldn’t know. But his love for the team has forever been known. He once even wagered his 50-acre farm in Texas that the Cowboys would win the Super Bowl. This has earned him the alias “Tex Johnson.”

And it is not like he did not try his hand at football. He played as a tight end before deciding to pursue a career in the NBA after watching John Koncak’s deal. While playing basketball, he kept his passion for football alive by following the Dallas Cowboys.

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.