Shaquille O’Neal has always been known for pulling pranks, and that side of him did not stop once his playing days ended. He’s kept that energy alive on NBA on TNT, where he and Kenny Smith have become one of the most entertaining duos in sports television.
The show thrives on chemistry and humor, but one story Kenny recently shared took things to a whole different level. Long before the two became close, Shaq did something that would’ve sent most parents into panic mode. He picked up Kenny’s son from school without telling him.
It sounds wild, and for a moment, it was. Kenny had no idea where his kid was or who had him. The whole thing unfolded back in the ’90s when their lives barely overlapped. Kenny told the full story during an appearance on BigBoyTV, and it’s one of those tales that sounds too outrageous to be real.
“Shaq kidnapped my son once. We’re in Houston, Texas. He laughs about it. So, this is the 90s. His daughter, at the time, and my son went to the same preschool. He’s six. I don’t know Shaq that well. We played against each other. I don’t know him. I don’t have his cell phone number.”
At the time, Shaq was still with the Orlando Magic, but his daughter’s mother lived in Houston. That meant his daughter was enrolled at the same preschool as Kenny’s son, even though the two families didn’t really know each other.
“He still played in Orlando. But he, the mom, lived in Houston, though. So, he wasn’t there, they lived around the corner from me, but he didn’t. So he goes into school, and I come in, and I’m like, ‘Hey, where’s KJ?’ ‘Oh, Shaquille picked him up.’ I’m like ‘Shaquille? I’m not even thinking Shaquille’s Shaq. So they go ‘Shaq.’ I’m like, ‘You gave my son to Shaq? What is going on? I don’t have his number.'”
“I had to call my wife at the time, she calls her. We get it. I’m like, ‘Shaq, where are you?’ He’s like, ‘Yo,’ I said, ‘You got my son? He’s like, ‘Yeah, I was picking up my daughter, and he was like, ‘Hey, can I go with y’all?’ And I said, ‘yeah.’ I said ‘Where are you?’ He’s like, ‘We’re at the mall. We’re going shopping.’ I said, ‘Shaq, what time are y’all gonna be back? Just meet me at the school.'”
“He brings him back, he got a haircut, he’s got a parting in him head. I don’t know Shaq more than you know me at this point. I’m on your show, but I don’t know you. He took my son, got a haircut, and got him clothes. He had bags and sneakers and gears. Coming in, He’s like, ‘All right, Uncle Shaq.'”
“And that is crazy because he we are on the same show 20 years later. I would’ve never… They pulled up to the school. It’s like, three cars, and everybody, the music’s blasting. My son is in the back like that. That’s our first experience, me and Shaq.”
Kenny barely knew Shaq, and now his six-year-old was calling him Uncle Shaq. The drop-off itself was a full production. Three cars rolled up, music blasting, and Kenny’s son was in the back soaking it all in.
That’s just who Shaq was back then. When he joined the Orlando Magic as the No. 1 pick in 1992, he brought more than basketball talent. He brought a presence that couldn’t be ignored. He won Rookie of the Year and helped lead Orlando to the 1995 NBA Finals, but off the court, his lifestyle was just as larger-than-life.
He threw massive parties, kept the music going until sunrise, and had celebrities constantly around. That was just part of his world.
It’s easy to see why Kenny’s son wanted to tag along that day. Shaq treated him like family, not like some random kid. Now, all these years later, their bond runs deeper than anyone could have imagined.
