Shaquille O’Neal recently got his name on the headlines after Instagram influencer Maria Ozuna Teachey posted a picture of herself on social media with an unknown big man whose hands formed a heart over her chest.
The post’s caption read, “Can y’all guess [whose] feet [these are]?” The caption prompted guesses from all of social media, with many thinking the big man was Shaq just because of the “feet” caption. Guessers thought the man’s toes resembled those of O’Neal’s.
Teachey, who has over 200,000 followers on Instagram, has since removed the post, but Worldstar managed to save a copy of the photo and reposted it on their own Instagram, to which Shaq himself responded.
“Nope, not the kid,” he commented, denying he’s connected to Teachey.
Teachey posted another photo in her Instagram story depicting the same big man sleeping on a couch. The photo showed part of the face and entire body of the unknown figure, but it’s not clear enough to show whether it was Shaquille O’Neal or not.
As if to address the Internet uproar, Teachey posted a video telling people not to “believe everything you see.”
Shaquille O’Neal further denies relationship with Maria Ozuna Teachey
In an attempt to either deny the rumors or make light of them, Shaquille O’Neal more than responded to Worldstar’s Instagram post.
The Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, and Miami Heat legend shared a slideshow of his own on his Instagram, featuring photos of him embracing different women, seemingly referencing Marioa Ozuna Teachey’s once-viral photo. The slideshow ended with a video clip that saw Shaq kissing a lady on the cheek.
He captioned the post in jest. “Is this my girlfriend, too? Trust me, I’ll let y’all know who my woman is, and by the way, my [woman’s] name is Shaqirah,” Shaq posted.
Earlier this year, Shaquille O’Neal made headlines after his ex-wife, Shaunie Henderson, questioned the authenticity of their relationship in her new book, “Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning On My Own Terms.”
“Looking back, I don’t know that I was ever really in love with the man, but I was in love with the idea of being married to the man I had a family with,” Henderson wrote. “I was in love with the idea of building a life together. I truly did enjoy spending time with him. [NBA] road trips allowed me to be with my husband and experience the NBA life for a little while.”
Shaq addressed Shaunie’s feelings in an Instagram post of his own. “I understand… I wouldn’t have been in love with me either. Wishing you all the best..All love. Shaq,” he wrote.
For more sports content:
Follow me on X at @ErnestLeo, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Ernest Hernandez via email at [email protected]. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Ernest also handles a YouTube account called Sports On Air with over 102 thousand subscribers. The channel contains interviews predominantly from the Philippine Basketball Association. They can be reached at [email protected].
