Shaq Shuts Down Whispers Of New Age-Gap Romance After Spicy Photo Scandal

In September 2024, a photo went viral that supposedly featured Shaquille O'Neal posing for a spicy selfie with a woman who looked much younger — and significantly smaller — than the retired NBA star. Even though his face was cropped out of the picture people believed it was O'Neal partly because of his checkered relationship history. The viral image was first posted to Instagram by user _1.filly, known as Maria online, who is a model and influencer with a sizable following. It showed Maria posing for a scandalous mirror selfie where she sported a beige bodysuit and jeans, while a very large man stood behind her with his hands placed over her breasts. The man in the background towered over Maria, as she barely came up to his chest. "Unapologetically us ... Can yall guess who feet?" she wrote in the caption.

Even though the post was deleted from Instagram, it was screenshot and shared on X, formerly Twitter, on September 16, where users assumed it was O'Neal in the background. Members of the Twitterati also had a field day roasting the former Los Angeles Lakers center for dating diminutive women. "I get these are two consenting adults but some things just ain't right," one wrote.

Naturally, the Big Diesel caught wind of the viral photo and responded. When WorldStar Hip Hop shared the picture to their Instagram page on September 17, O'Neal denied the towering figure in the background was him. "Nope not the kid," he wrote in the comment section. Afterward, O'Neal shared a series of hilarious videos on Instagram refuting the claims that Maria was his girlfriend, but he also muddled the matter of whether that was him in the viral pic.

Shaquille O'Neal appeared to relish in the attention the provocative viral photo had brought. On September 17, the "Inside the NBA" host uploaded multiple videos to Instagram addressing the matter in a comical fashion. The first clip was a video montage of photos where O'Neal posed with women of varying ages while striking a very similar pose to the one posted by user _1.filly. "Is this my girlfriend too, trust me I'll let yall know who my woman is, and by the way my woman['s] name is Shaqirah," he wrote in the caption. Later that day, the "Blue Chips" star uploaded a video where he mouthed Denzel Washington's famous "Training Day" speech. "I will let yall know when I'm in love," O'Neal wrote in the caption. The former NBA MVP denied the woman was his girlfriend, but it was unclear whether that was him in the viral snap. "She was your girl for one night and that's okay!" one Instagram user responded.

The fun was not over for O'Neal as he posted yet another Instagram video that day. In that clip, he recruited online personality Alexa Leighton to pose as his better half. "Hi, I'm Shaq's girlfriend, and when I play this song I can get anything I want," Leighton said in the clip as O'Neal attempted a sultry dance for her as she sat in a chair. The online onslaught of videos continued the next day when the Big Aristotle posted a video where he lip-synced the words to Shaggy's lothario anthem "It Wasn't Me."

Later, the woman from the salacious photo made an Instagram video of her own.

Instagram user _1.filly, known as Maria, posted a veiled response to the viral photo. Taking to Instagram — where the trouble originated — she posted a video addressing her followers. "BUT YOU GOTTA RISE ABOVE THAT S*** Top of the Morning MOVE ON," she wrote in the caption. Predictably, people showed up to blast Maria in the comments. "Why was proving to us that you was getting cracked by Shaq so important to you?" one wrote. "You needa write a book on how to fumble a bag," another added. Maria also posted evidence on Instagram Stories (via MyMixtapes on X, formerly Twitter) to corroborate her side of the story, including a note from the Atlantic City hotel where Shaquille O'Neal was staying welcoming him back, as well as a photo of him on a couch and a video of him at a club. O'Neal didn't respond further to these posts.

Maria was far from the first woman to go viral because of her size difference compared to the former NBA center. Many forget O'Neal dated "Flavor of Love" star Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander. In 2011, a photo of the pair walking together and holding hands went viral because of their immense height disparity. The couple dated from 2010 until 2012, which overlapped with O'Neal's marriage to Shaunie Henderson — they divorced in 2011, and O'Neal took the blame for their failed marriage.

According to Hoopz, her relationship with O'Neal came to an end after a video surfaced of him cozying up to another woman while attending Wimbledon. Initially, friends believed the NBA analyst was snuggling with Hoopz. "Then I looked, and the story was everywhere. And I'm thinking, but that's not me!" she recalled to XoNecole in July 2016. The former reality star felt disrespected by O'Neal for being affectionate with another woman in public. "It's what he decided to do and he has to live with that. I move on and be the best person I can be. I'm still hopeful for love," she said.