Shaquille O’Neal Denies the Viral Rumor of Him Hugging a Woman in a Photo

Shaquille O’Neal was recently made to address online rumors involving him and social media influencer Maria Ozuna Teachey. The NBA legend became the subject of online speculation after Maria posted a photo that to many looked like they were an item.

The Instagram photo showed a tall man, big hands, placed over Maria’s shoulders. Her caption read, “Unapologetically us …. Can y’all guess whose feet? #loveyou #bigfillyneverthelittleone.” The post gave rise to speculations among followers whether the person in the picture was actually the 7-foot-1 sports icon.

In spite of the growing theories, O’Neal ensured to nip it in the bud. Following WorldStar, “Folks on social media seem to think #Shaq has a new girlfriend,” O’Neal responded with, “Nope, not the kid.”

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To take the matter even further, Shaq posted an Instagram video of himself posing with several women in similar photos, saying in a comical matter they weren’t his girlfriend either. He even added a funny caption to it, saying, “Is this my girlfriend too? Trust me, I’ll let y’all know who my woman is, and by the way, her name is Shaqirah.”

Soon after, Shaq posted another video, this time with the caption, “I will let y’all know when I’m in love,” further jesting at the rumors. He then followed that up with a video of him and a lady claiming to be his girlfriend, keeping the lighthearted nature of his response.

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Bringing in even more Shade Room drama, they shared a screenshot that appeared to be a joking message from Maria herself, which read, “Come on Kid. A time was had. Why he lie to y’all man.” As expected, this teasing back-and-forth set the fans off, but Shaq remained crystal clear: when it is real, he’ll let the world know.