Shaq recently expressed some regrets concerning a humorous yet misinterpreted social media post.
On June 28, during an episode of The Big Podcast, the 52-year-old basketball icon took a moment to issue a heartfelt apology to Drake for a social media mishap involving an edited photo.
The image in question showed O’Neal on a boat with a woman in a bikini, whose face had been replaced with that of the “Hotline Bling” rapper. This was all set against the backdrop of Metro Boomin’s diss track “BBL Drizzy.”
Opening up about the incident, O’Neal explained, “Let me apologize right quick. I sent out a picture the other day. The mistake I made was that I should’ve said, ‘Who did this?’ Because I want Drake to know…,” highlighting that he was not the creator of the edited image. He aimed to clarify that his intentions were in good humor and not meant to troll: “Listen, Drake has a great sense of humor, so I thought it was funny that they did it. I don’t want him to think — like, I saw ‘Shaq’s trolling.’ No, I’m not trolling.”
O’Neal further distanced himself from the creation of the image, emphasizing, “I didn’t Photoshop it. Somebody Photoshopped it and I actually saw it and I took the picture,” he elaborated. “So, Drake, I apologize. I should have put ‘Who was this?’ on there because I don’t want you to think I did that. Somebody sent it to me, I thought it was funny, and hopefully, you thought it was funny, too. But once it went viral, I definitely took it down. But, so, my bad, big Drake.”
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The incident came at a time when Drake was already embroiled in a public rap feud with Kendrick Lamar, adding an extra layer of scrutiny to any interactions involving the Canadian artist.
Concurrently, Drake was exploring new musical collaborations, notably with Camila Cabello on her latest album, C,XOXO, featuring the tracks “Hot Uptown” and “Uuugly.” These collaborations originated after Cabello, a former member of Fifth Harmony, reached out to Drake via direct messages.
Cabello also shared her thoughts on the challenges of public feuds in the music industry. In a conversation with the Sunday Times, she expressed her frustration with how conflicts are publicly perceived, suggesting that personal interactions could help resolve misunderstandings. “It’s so frustrating to see people talk about someone you know in a way that is negative,” she commented, alluding to the feud between Drake and Lamar without naming them directly. “You’re like, ‘Dang, if only you guys could just have dinner or something.’”
This sentiment reflects the complexities of personal relationships and public personas in the world of high-profile entertainers.
