Shaquille O'Neal attends an event. (Image: Scott Mlyn | CNBC)
Shaquille O’Neal is not only one of the best players to ever step on a basketball court, but he is also one of the most recognized figures in pop culture.
Shaq’s relevance in today’s pop culture despite retiring in 2011 is largely because the former NBA player and one of the best centers in NBA history is prevalent in most memes one of the most prevalent of such memes is the world-famous “Shaq hiding behind a tree” meme.
Like most memes in the modern day, it simply originated from a random picture where Shaq was hiding behind a tree because of his enormous stature, it is pretty much impossible for Shaq to hide behind anything in particular hence he was simply using the tree to camouflage himself.
The former NBA player who turned out for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics in his career spanning across nearly two decades was one of the most dominant specimens we’ve ever seen – so the frame of him hiding behind a tree whose trunk is as thick as one of his thighs is definitely meme material.
Shaq has his own explanation for the meme, as can be seen from his own excerpts.
Upon being asked about the reason to use the California greenery as a cover on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Shaq said: “I was in Beverly Hills doing a little shopping and I saw the [paparazzi] walk by, because they were chasing somebody else. I didn’t want them to see me, but I couldn’t run since I’m too big to run, so I found that tree. I wanted to stay still and blend in.”
It turns out that the origin of the meme is the four-time NBA champion simply choosing to camouflage himself with the Beverly Hills foliage rather than choosing fight or flight a rather straightforward explanation for an image that has since gone viral on social media platforms.
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