Chile! Artificial intelligence is moving fast, and social media is struggling to keep up. But not Shaq! A recent courtside moment had timelines buzzing, jokes flying, and plenty of people fooled at first glance. That is until Shaquille O’Neal himself stepped in and reminded everyone that not everything you see online is real.
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Flirty Courtside Photos Spark Buzz—Until Shaq Shuts It Down
A 19-year-old woman set Threads buzzing after posting what appeared to be photos of herself sitting courtside next to Shaquille O’Neal. The images showed the NBA legend smiling beside her in one shot and leaning in close as if whispering something in her ear in another. She paired the post with a flirty caption, writing, “Got the opportunity to sit courtside with Shqq” followed by, “What do you think he was telling me?”
At first glance, plenty of people took the images at face value, speculating about what Shaq could’ve possibly been saying and joking about the unlikely courtside pairing. But the fun didn’t last long. Shaq himself hopped into the comments and immediately clocked the post as fake, responding bluntly: “Uh no u didn’t” and “Shaq has a beard dummy.” That one sentence was enough to send the internet spiraling back through the photos with a magnifying glass.
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Fans Call Cap And Clock AI
Over in The Shade Room’s Instagram comment section, fans wasted no time clocking the situation. Some pointed out that the woman technically wrote “Shqq” and not “Shaq,” joking that she left herself a little wiggle room. But, others sounded off on how AI is getting scarily realistic and harder to spot by the day. Meanwhile, plenty applauded Shaq for speaking up and not letting the post slide, saying he shut it down before the internet could run too far with the mess.
One Instagram user @maggiewheeler_ said, “That’s scary 😭”
This Instagram user @gabanact added, “That’s why she said she was with Shqq 😂 read lol“
And Instagram user @sirestodance wrote, “She did exactly what she knew she needed, and it worked😂😂”
Meanwhile, Instagram user @kingali claimed, “That’s Shqq not SHAQ!“
Then Instagram user @_chokhilate said, “😂😂😂😂😭😭 I screamed so loud. He said stop lying rn“
While Instagram user @ shared, “When I get caught cheating im gonna blame its AI because this shi look realistic af 😩”
Finally, Instagram user @that.dee.girl commented, “He said IKYFL😂”
Shaq Stays Busy Debunking Viral Speculation
While the moment was good for laughs, it also highlights a growing issue celebrities are facing as AI technology becomes more advanced. For Shaq, the speculation just adds to a long list of moments he’s had to publicly shut down. Last year, he denied romance rumors after appearing in a photo from OnlyFans model Sophie Rain’s 21st birthday party. When speculation took off, Shaq didn’t mince words. He made it clear he doesn’t date that young and addressed the situation directly in since-deleted comments.
Before that, he also denied being the man in a viral NSFW photo circulating on Instagram and later shared by TMZ. The image showed a woman posing in front of a very large man with his face cropped out, leading many to assume it was Shaq based on his build. He quickly shut that down too, commenting under a repost, “Nope not the kid.”
