Shaquille O'Neal might need some water.

O'Neal and the rest of the Inside The NBA crew had an interview with Baylor Lady Bears star DiDi Richards on Tuesday night during which Richards' mother, Ungeanetta, poked her head into the camera.

Candace Parker complimented Ungeanetta as being “ageless.” Shaq had a thirstier way of complimenting Richards' mother.

Not the best effort from the “Big Diesel.” Even worse, Shaq went to Dwyane Wade for reassurance after the one-liner and D-Wade correctly bowed out of any applause for the joke.

Meanwhile, Richards' story is one basketball fans should become more familiar with going forward.

Richards was one of the brightest stars in the NCAA heading into the 2020-21 season. But her career took a tragic turn when she suffered temporary paralysis following an on-court collision with teammate Moon Ursin in practice on Oct. 24.

The injury seemed to threaten Richards' basketball career. Doctors explained she would be able to make a comeback at some point, but the timeline was very uncertain.

Yet she made a miraculous recovery, returning to the floor just 38 days after the incident. Richards explained she occasionally had fits of frustration and sadness at her situation, but also took small victories from the recovery process:

“My legs felt stuck, or they would hesitate, or jump a bit,” Richards said, via ESPN. “That's when I learned to celebrate each little thing, every different thing that was something I wasn't able to do the day before. I became more positive with the little victories.”

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Photo: Boban Marjanovic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shaquille O’Neal

Derick Quinanola ·

Richards was a huge part of Baylor's run in the NCAA Tournament this year, which ultimately ended on a controversial no call that drew the attention of NBA stars.

Now, the former national defensive player of the year is hoping to be among the players selected in the upcoming WNBA draft.

Richards is more than deserving of the spotlight after such an incredible journey.

And as far as spotlights go, this is probably one that Shaquille O'Neal would like to shy away from.