“I do what I do. Always,” Shaquille O’Neal once said — and that mindset has taken him on some wild adventures.
A four-time champion, three-time Finals MVP, and 15-time All-Star, O’Neal didn’t just dominate the court — he steamrolled through it. But what truly sets the “Big Diesel” apart isn’t just his resume; it’s his larger-than-life personality off the hardwood.
From getting his credit card declined during a $70,000 Walmart spree to buying strangers expensive gifts to goofing off on national TV as an analyst, O’Neal is a constant headline. And just when you thought you’d heard it all, the 53-year-old dropped another gem.
Shaquille O’Neal Shared His Weird Experience at a Zoo
On a recent episode of “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” the Hall of Famer told an absolutely bonkers story that’s making waves: the time a gorilla at a Miami zoo tried to fight him.
It started with a meme that’s been trending — “100 men vs. 1 gorilla: who wins?” Like everyone else, O’Neal and his co-hosts had to jump in on the debate.
Co-host Adam Lefkoe asked, “How many Shaqs would it take to beat a gorilla?”
Without hesitation, the 7’1″, 325-pound legend replied, “None, because Shaq already knows what the gorilla will do … I’m leaving.”
But then O’Neal stunned everyone. He revealed he’s had a real-life standoff with a gorilla before — at a Miami zoo.
“Started off with the zoo in Miami. Like the guys always like, they just take me in the back and say, ‘Don’t look at the gorilla.’ But I looked at one gorilla. He came onto the wall, and he was eye to eye like this. He was looking at me, and I was looking at him, and I was like, ‘What the f*** you looking at?’ He just went crazy.”
O’Neal continued:
“So, he actually had the look at me like, ‘Hey man, what you doing out there, and I’m in here?’ That’s the first look he gave me. Then he… gave me the look like, ‘Hey man, where your fur at?’ Like he was like — and tried to fight me.”
Now, if things somehow got real, could the Diesel hold his own against a gorilla? Probably not. But he does have one edge most don’t: wrestling chops.
In 2009, O’Neal entered the WWE ring as a guest host, overseeing a match between Cryme Tyme and Jeri-Show. Of course, it didn’t take long before he ripped off his shirt and jumped into the action.
That wasn’t a one-off. At WrestleMania 32, he entered the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, eliminated Damian Sandow, and tangled with Big Show. O’Neal has also appeared in WCW and AEW Dynamite, showing he’s no stranger to stepping into the ring.
Even with all that, though, O’Neal admits he’s not about to throw hands with a gorilla.
Still, it’s another classic story from O’Neal’s never-ending collection of legendary moments. From NBA dominance to WWE mayhem to gorilla standoffs at the zoo, O’Neal remains the gift that keeps on giving.
