Shaquille O’Neal has returned to the broadcasting booth for NBA 2K23, which is now available for download worldwide.
O’Neal once again appears in the video game alongside fellow Inside The NBA hosts Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith for a simulated version of the halftime show. He appears on several all-time and classic rosters that are available for play as well.
To promote the game, the four-time NBA champion partnered with Papa John’s and Mountain Dew for the MTN DEW NBA ® 2K23 Player’s Pack Bundle. This promotion gives fans an opportunity to unlock up to a million dollars worth of in-game swag.
The fifteen-time All-Star caught up with For The Win to discuss the promo. He also reflected on his experience as a producer on the Oscar-winning short documentary The Queen of Basketball, what it was like to watch his son play for the Lakers in summer league, and more.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
We last spoke about the late Lucy Harris, the subject of the short doc you helped produce that won an Oscar. How do you reflect on that experience?
Shaq: I was happy and sad all at once when the documentary won. I was actually getting ready to go see her before she passed away. I talked to her over FaceTime. But I wanted to meet her and give her a hug. She was such a nice lady. She reminded me of my mother and all my aunties. She passed away and I was sad, even though we won the Oscar. That’s not what I did it for. I got enough awards to start my own trophy shop. But the fact that she won made me happy, but I would have been even happier to have seen her go up there and receive it. I still keep in touch with her family but it was sad I could never meet her.
You recently spoke about never filling out a resumé. What would yours look like?
Shaq: I was showing respect to people such as yourself. Yes, I’ve done a lot. I’ve won a lot of awards. I’ve made a lot of money. But I consider my life to be lucky. You guys are the ones that should be respected and honored. You, for example, have to get up early. Write something. Send it off. Get it proofed. They mark it up. I was trying to pay homage to regular people such as yourself and my parents because I never had to fill out a resumé. I never had to take one to an office and try and get a job. That makes me blessed.
But I’ve done quite a few things. I’ve tried to do things that had a positive impact on people — especially children. I’m just trying to make people happy. I’m just trying to help. But I’ve never had to fill out a physical resumé like you or other hard-working people. So I just wanted them to know that I respect what you guys do. You guys run the country. You do the really hard work.
What was your feeling when you saw your son, Shareef, playing summer league for the Lakers?
Shaq: Man, it was good. I set high standards like what my father set for me. He’s working hard. Of course, being an O’Neal kid, everyone thinks his journey is going to be like mine. But I tell my kids all the time: “I’m an Amazonian that walks through the jungle. I’m crazy. Your path will never be like my path. You’ll have to choose your own path. However you’ll make it, you’ll make it.” He decided to go early. He had a good summer league and he will be in the G League. He still has a chance to fulfill his dream.
FTW: Can you elaborate on the advice that you’ve given him on his path to the pros?
Shaq: I tell him all the time: “You are never going to be me. Don’t let people tell you that you’re me because you’re not. Your father is crazy. Your father is an idiot. Your father was a monster on the court. You’re not like that. Develop your game. Develop your style. It’s fortunate and unfortunate that you’ll have to live with that name. But create your own way.” Hopefully, that takes the pressure off because I was crazy. I had to make it. He don’t really have to make it. But I had to make it. So I ran through walls because my motivation was different. I only had one thing: I had to buy my mom a house. Even if I just played for two years, as long as that lady got a new house, I was happy. He has to find his motivation and go for it.
What are the results when you play NBA 2K against your sons?
Shaq: They know stuff that I don’t know. When the game first came out, I used to kill them. But then when I was out working, doing what you do, they were practicing and practicing and they become monsters — especially my youngest son, Shaqir. He don’t miss. He can talk to you and not even look at the screen and be moving the joystick and he still won’t miss. One time I was playing against him and I couldn’t even get past halfcourt.
Are you doing anything to promote the release of NBA 2K23 now that it is out?
Shaq: I’m doing a promotion with Papa John’s and Mountain Dew when you purchase a large, three-topping pizza and a 20 oz. Mountain Dew. Kids can unlock a million dollars worth of in-game swag in NBA 2K23. A million dollars? That’s big. One thousand dollars is big! One hundred thousand dollars is big! But a million dollars??
What’s something people might not realize about the voiceover work you do with the video game?
Shaq: It’s how they algorithmically know what’s going to happen. They have us say all these different scenarios and we add our touch to it. They know that a kid is going to use the joystick to pass it to Stephen Curry and then he is going to shoot a 3-pointer and Ernie is going to say “Oh my God! There he is!” I ask them how they do it. There are a lot of people. They watch a lot of footage. They know what needs to be said. We’ll come in and they’ll give us a script and we will recite what feels like a million hours’ worth of lines. Every moment you do in the game, we have a response for it.
Who do you play as when you play NBA 2K? Do you mostly play in the post?
Shaq: Most of the time I play as Stephen Curry because he’s automatic. But then every now and then, I want to dunk. If I’m at a tournament and there are a bunch of kids there, I’ll let the kids pick whoever they want and I’ll pick myself because I want to show them what I used to do in real life. They’ll say “you couldn’t dunk like that!” and I’ll say “yeah, I could!”
FTW: Is there anyone able to dunk like you in the modern NBA?
Shaq: Probably only one: Dwight Howard. He was a monster when he was younger.
Before we go: You’ve done a lot of traveling this summer. What was your favorite destination?
Shaq: I’ve been to Australia. I’ve been to the Bahamas. I’ve been to China. I’ve been all over. Australia, though, listen. Australian people are so nice and so hospitable. It was really great.
