Shaquille O’Neal has never been shy, on or off the court. Whether it’s dominating defenders in the paint or telling hilarious stories from his legendary NBA career, Shaq always delivers with flair. One of his most recent tales, shared on The Big Podcast with Shaq, featured a mix of court dominance, celebrity crushes, and unexpected disappointment, this time involving Coming to America actress Shari Headley.
Shaq recalled the moment with comedic precision.
“Sherri Headley from Coming 2 America. We at the Garden, and I’m shooting free-throws, and she’s walking down. I damn near shoot an air ball. And we make the eye contact and she give me the little wink.”
“So now I’m like, I go back to the huddle, I say, I don’t give a f**k what play they call. Throw me that f**k every time. I’m getting that b***h, I’m dunking, I’m looking for her, I’ve got my legs up, I’m talking s**t, I’m pointing, I’m like, that’s my s**t, I’m from Jersey. And then after the game, she was in the back with her husband.”
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This wasn’t the first time Shaq had gone all-out to impress a celebrity courtside. He famously recounted a moment involving Halle Berry during a Lakers game, another tale filled with humor, nerves, and unfiltered honesty.
And while most of those stories end in a chuckle rather than a romance, they reflect something genuinely human about him, despite his dominance and fame, he still gets nervous around his crushes.
More than anything, Shaq’s anecdote shows that even legends fall into the same traps as the rest of us: misreading signals, going above and beyond to impress someone, and finding out later that the fantasy was never in play to begin with.
The only difference is, most people don’t try to impress their crush by scoring 30 points and breaking backboards.
Whether he was dominating in the paint or trying to win over a movie star, Shaq was always going to give you a show. And like everything he does, even his misfires come with laughs and charisma to spare.
From Shari Headley to Halle Berry, the Big Aristotle has had his fair share of starstruck moments. And while not every shot hits the mark—on or off the court—you can’t say Shaq doesn’t shoot.
