Shaquille O’Neal always made his presence felt, whether he was dominating in the paint or making teammates laugh with his outrageous antics. During Shaq's eight-year stint with the Lakers, his blend of unstoppable strength and over-the-top humor became legendary, and his former teammates still share stories that prove it, per HoopsHype.
Recently, Brian Shaw pulled back the curtain on one of the funniest and most bizarre pranks Shaq ever pulled off. According to Shaw, if you found yourself in the bathroom stall next to Shaq, you were fair game. “He would slide a magazine under the stall and say, ‘B-Shaw, look at this car on page 46.’ Then, when you turned to that page, it wasn’t a car at all. It was a big a** turd,” Shaw recalled, laughing at the memory.
Naked truth at practice
Shaw’s story isn’t the only wild memory that sticks with the Lakers family. Rick Fox admitted he still feels “scarred” by one unforgettable morning when Shaq showed up to practice without a stitch of clothing. “He ran out into the middle of the court naked before practice. I can’t get that image out of my mind,” Fox joked.
Luke Walton, a rookie during Shaq’s final season with the Lakers, explained how the moment came about. “We had a rule you couldn’t be late to the center huddle,” Walton said. “He didn’t have time to put clothes on, so he just made sure he was in the circle on time.”
Assistant coach Mark Madsen backed up the story, adding that Shaq strutted onto the floor, threw his hands in the air, and shouted, “I’m ready to practice.” With his towering frame and zero clothes, the message was impossible to miss.
Stories like these only add to the myth of Shaq, a Hall of Famer who was just as much a comedian as he was a champion. His dominance on the court gave the Lakers three straight titles, but his humor kept the locker room just as lively as Staples Center on a game night.
