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via Imago

via Imago

Being a parent is perhaps one of the greatest joys an individual can experience in their lifetime. While it mostly consists of fulfilling the responsibilities and duties of a parent, there are days in the year when they are rewarded. One such day was June 18. Every year, International Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday of June and last Sunday was that occasion.

Several celebs were on either or both ends of the spectrums- celebrating and being celebrated or both. One such celebration took place with the NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal. He received a tribute from his son Shareef, which had a connection with WWE legend Hulk Hogan.

How did Shareef O’Neal ring in Father’s Day?

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Shaq is one of the most entertaining athletes to lace up a pair of boots. Apart from his dominance inside the basketball court, the 51-year-old also made appearances in the WWE. By virtue of his fun loving character, Diesel, not surprisingly, got along well with several WWE superstars. One among them was Hulk Hogan.

While the Hulkster wasn’t as vertically gifted as the 7ft giant, at 6 ft 7 inches and 24 inches biceps protruding, Hogan wasn’t a man to get intimidated by O’Neal’s giant frame. Shareef shared a picture of his father hanging out with the 69-year-old pro-wrestling legend.

Though it’s not clear when the picture was clicked, it’s most likely from Shaq’s early days as a basketball star. The two athletes even wore matching outfits- sporting Hogan’s iconic red and yellow, complete with the headgear. Shareef, who currently plays basketball in  NBA G League Ignite, chose to share two more pictures on his Instagram story as a tribute to his legendary father.

Read More: “A Little Tricky…”: Hulk Hogan Once Opened Up About Life After His Whole Family Got Famous

Hogan and Shaq’s friendship goes way back. In fact, the NBA legend’s first WWE appearance featured a moment with Hulk Hogan in 1994. That year Hogan beat another wrestling great Ric Flair for the WWE Championship with Shaq at ringside. After the match, Shaq even presented the title to a victorious Hulkster. This would be his last WWE appearance until early 2010 when Shaq would return to WWE.

But the 4-time NBA champion isn’t the only basketballer to have a connection with the WWE.

WWE adds a little something to Nuggets’ celebrations

The first of any is always special. And if that first comes after a prolonged wait, it makes the achievement a little more special. The Denver Nuggets certainly felt that way as they won the NBA championship, ending their 47-year drought. However, the championship rings from the NBA weren’t the only gift they received.

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Moments after Nikola Jokic and his teammates lifted the trophy, WWE announced personalized championship belts for all the members of the champion team. “Hard work. History made. Congratulations to the Denver @nuggets on their first NBA Championship. We’d like to add a little something to the celebration… #BringItIn,” WWE Head of Creative, Triple H, tweeted.

USA Today via Reuters

In 2014, NBA icon LeBron James thanked Dwayne Johnson for gifting him a WWE Championship belt. James, whose good friends with The Rock, took to Instagram to imitate his “If you can smell…” catchphrase, before showing off the belt.

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Meanwhile, tell us what you thought of Shareef O’Neal’s father day gift, in the comments.

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