Rumors all over that Shaquille O’Neal got involved with an internet personality and he declares “love” for an old crush. What better timing for The OGs’ latest podcast episode to premiere? For the fans, at least, if not Shaq himself. The story on the podcast started with the former LA Lakers star revealing how coach Dale Brown’s consistent trust in him led to him joining LSU. But quickly led to another reason that prompted him to go with the Tigers. Don’t get your expectations high for another heartfelt story, for it is Shaq who we are talking about.

The 4x NBA champ hilariously stated the real reason to be the girls with fancy hair and eyes who caught his attention. But there was one particular person that the former NBA star still remembers. “One girl named Madison. She was so goddamn fine… I was like, ‘damn, you’re so beautiful’. And she’s like, ‘yeah, you come here. I’ll tutor you’. I was like, ‘that’s what I want to do with you’. Madison, if you’re watching this, I love you,” Shaq said on the podcast.

Interesting story, but Shaquille O’Neal would’ve himself most likely avoided telling it had he known what the circumstances would be by the time the podcast premiered. It’s unlikely that anyone would be unaware of the misdirected attention towards Shaq concerning a social media influencer. For those who are, it all started with Maria Teachey sharing a photo in her IG post.

The face of the rather largely built man being cropped out, she wrote in the caption — “Unapologetically us…. Can y’all guess who feet? #loveyou…”

The netizens, especially NBA fans, were quick with their speculations of the man in the photo being Shaquille O’Neal. “Shaq think we can’t see him,” commented one user. However, the 15x All Star denied all such claims. “Nope not the kid,” he wrote from his IG account.

“U seem very concerned”: Shaquille O’Neal trying too hard to prove a point?

Ever since the rumor and the aforementioned viral photo spread like wildfire, the ex-NBA star’s last 3 IG posts have been about the same issue. The first post featured multiple pictures of Shaq with different girls in a similar pose that was there in the said viral pic. He then posed a rhetorical question to his followers through the caption to the post.

“Is this my girlfriend too, trust me I’ll let yall know who my woman is. And by the way my woman name is Shaqirah,” he wrote in the caption. But this is not where it ends. The 4x NBA champ shared yet another IG post—the caption stating he will let everyone know when he is in love. But this one prompted one IG user to highlight that Big Diesel seems not in his usual zone.

“u seem very concerned about all this big bro,” the IG user commented. And as if this wasn’t enough, Shaquille O’Neal shared yet another post. Featuring actress and social media personality Alexa Leighton. This post was clearly a hilarious take on all the rumors and speculations that have been going around. “My real girlfriend knows I’m a big black exotic dancer,” read the caption to the post featuring Shaq’s hilarious exotic dance.

“Doing too much to prove a point you’re wrong about..” one user commented. Meanwhile, the girl in the viral photo, Maria Teachey, has not come with any response yet. However, in one of her IG reels, she stated one should not believe everything they see. This came after she delete the said photo from her IG account. While this is not the first time that Shaq has been linked with a woman based on internet rumors, the timing to come up with the whole LSU story about Madison doesn’t seem really favorable.

Stay tuned for more updates. 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.