Shaquille O’Neal never runs out of creative ideas. He is the “ambassador of fun” after all. He has plenty, including some inspired by his time in Germany. The Lakers legend teamed up with Hershey to introduce a new line of gummies called Shaq-A-Licious. For the promotion of the newest and sweetest collaboration, the Big Aristotle turned into a salesman, handing out packets of gummies to kids at a Walmart store in Miami.

A crowd of 100 gathered near the 87th Avenue exit of the Dolphin Expressway to see the Lakers legend, who had a great time interacting with kids, customers, and residents passing by. Many who were aware of his arrival came dressed in Miami Heat jerseys and Reebok sneakers.

But the more interesting part? These special gummies are shaped like O’Neal’s face, and the flavors were chosen by the Heat legend himself. “You can bite my head off,” he remarked in a clip shared by Miami Herald. And the idea is very likely O’Neal’s himself, who spent months working on them to include six surprising flavors.

“Hershey’s approached me and it took months of coming up with the characters and flavors. We went to the Hershey factory in Pennsylvania and it’s something fun,” Shaq said. However, you might not find these gummies everywhere. 

Shaq-a-licious XL will only be available in Walmart. The 4X NBA champ seems to have a special place in heart for the store. Previously, after things didn’t work out with Reebok, he decided to sell his own affordable line in Walmart instead, that ultimately sold 400 million shoes. Maybe why he returns to the store now. 

We are left to wonder how and why he came up with the idea of giving the gummies the shape of his face. However, he did share the inspiration behind the gummy line, despite the many other options of candies available.

Shaquille O’Neal shares Germany’s love for Gummy Bears

Shaq and his family lived in Germany in the 80s due to his stepfather’s military career. He remembers it as a time he worked on his basketball skills, but it also happens to be the time that led to Shaq-a-licious. While promoting his new product, the Los Angeles Lakers legend shared the story with the Miami Herald. Mentioning his love for gummies, he emphasized his close connection to gummy factories there. This made the idea an obvious choice when Hershey approached him. 

“I grew up in Germany around Gummy Bear Factory, so when Hershey came to me with the idea of we should do something, I was like, let’s do gummies, only shackalicious,” O’Neal explained.

The gummy bears that he mentioned were first created in Germany by the famous Hans Riegel, who popularized candy culture there. The country is home to numerous candy companies and boasts one of the best candy industries in the world. To find these gummies, you’ll need to visit a Walmart store, and if you’re lucky, you might stumble upon O’Neal.

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.