NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal made a career out of dominating on the court and making opposing players look weak. He relied on his size and brute force down low to do things many couldn’t.
He’s been retired for years now and focusing on other things such as his career as an analyst and personality with TNT, often showcasing some of the biggest fails other players have in games.
However, he recently had a fail of his own as he attempted to perform TikTok’s #DropChallenge as many people have on the platform.
Shaq attempted popular #DropChallenge on TikTok
Many challenges go viral on TikTok, including the Drop Challenge. It involves dropping down into a squatting position as the intro to Beyoncé’s 2013 single Partition plays.
Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka may have set the challenge off, as her TikTok video in January got others to start doing the Drop Challenge. That included Emmy Award-winning actress Kerry Washington and now NBA legend Shaq.
That brought a humorous clip from the three-time champion, with the 50-year-old Shaq showing how he can’t quite drop low like he may have been able to in his younger days.
In the short clip, the NBA big man is trying to get down to that squatting position but just can’t go there and gets a look on his face like he’s in pain. Luckily he’s got a nearby desk or table to grab so he can prevent himself from falling or straining himself more.
“I tried but I can’t,” he wrote in his TikTok caption, with the video generating about 480,000 Likes so far.
Commenters react to Shaq’s #DropChallenge fail
Shaq’s attempt at the Drop Challenge brought many individuals into the comments to offer their critiques, reactions, and jokes about his efforts.
One commenter recommended Shaq use the product he’s promoted for years to help with the pain.
“Drop it like it’s Icy Hot,” one individual joked with a nod to Snoop Dogg’s classic song.
Another commenter thanked Shaq for giving older people accurate representation with his Drop Challenge attempt.
“In his defense he’s a giant and it’s kind of hard for him to get down and back up. We should ask Kevin Hart to do it. His center of gravity is lower,” another person commented.
The big man may not have succeeded with the viral challenge, but Shaq’s shown himself to have some impressive moves in the past, and not just during basketball games.
Before the 2009 NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix, he put on a show with the Jabbawockeez as he dazzled the crowd with his routine, wearing a mask and his warmup gear while he danced.
While Shaq’s Drop Challenge may not have been a TikTok highlight for him, he definitely has plenty of those from his NBA days to look back on and remember those times when he could still get low.