Shaquille O’Neal has been forced to address viral screenshots that allegedly show him sending deeply inappropriate messages to Sabrina Carpenter on Instagram, and he wants everyone to know it wasn’t him.
The 54-year-old NBA legend took up the subject himself on his podcast, asking guest rapper Jim Jones to weigh in on whether the messages sounded like something he would write.
He then read one of the alleged DMs aloud: “Damn baby. I’d keep your f*rts in a cologne bottle and spray it on me everyday. Just kidding, I’m Shaq baby, what’s your name?”
In the screenshot, Carpenter, 26, is said to have replied: “I know who you are, you’re far too famous to send me messages like that.”
O’Neal continued to read additional messages described as increasingly distasteful before dismissing it all as an internet rumor.
His rebuttal was characteristically blunt. “There’s a lot more to the game than that,” he said, laughing.
The screenshots quickly spread on social media before O’Neal moved to expose them.
Carpenter is currently believed to be single following her relationship with actor Barry Keoghan. O’Neal is also single, having split from his wife Shaunie in 2011 after nine years of marriage.
The former couple share four children.
In his playing days, the 7ft 1in center was one of the most dominant forces in NBA history, winning four championships across stints with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.
He was selected first overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA Draft and also played for the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics before retiring.
He has since built a second career as a popular and well-regarded NBA analyst.
