Shaquille O'Neal has blamed "youngsters" focused on "going viral" for fake claim he slid into Sabrina Carpenter's DMs.
The 54-year-old NBA legend - who has been nicknamed Big Diesel - has addressed speculation he tried to shoot his shot with the 26-year-old pop star.
Shaq, who hosts The Big Podcast, told listeners: "First of all, ladies, the Diesel got way more game than that. I'm just saying."
The basketball star - who has 29-year-old daughter Taahirah with former flame Arnetta Yardbourgh, as well as Miles, 28, Shareef, 26, Amirah, 24, Shaqir, 22, and Me-arah, 19, with ex wife Shaunie Henderson - suggested the fake messages were created by "youngsters" focused on "the algorithm and going viral".
Shaq was able to see the funny side, as he read out some of the fake DMs on his podcast.
He quoted: “‘Damn, baby, I would keep your farts in a cologne bottle and spray it on me every day'.
"‘Just jokes, I’m Shaq. What’s your name, baby?’ And Sabrina says, ‘I know who you are. You’re way too famous to be sending messages like that.’”
The fabricated exchange shows 'Shaq' replying: "'I can’t be horny and want some of that snow bunny kitty for no reason. You can’t handle Big Diesel anyway. My meat would have you in the hospital.'”
Shaq's podcast guest, rapper Jim Jones described, social media as a "dangerous replace".
He added: "Social media is a great way for you to gain business and for you to market and promote your business.
“That’s what I use it for. Everyone has their own elaborate ways and schemes that they use social media platforms.
"I use it for music, I use it for my content [and] I use it for pretty much everything I have going on.”
He noted that "social media is there for entertainment", and people caught up in rumours need to "figure out how to make it work".
He said: "Whatever’s going on today, it’s not going to last past three days.
"If you feel that social media is working against you, it’s never working against you.
"You’ve got to figure out how to make it work for you even when it is working against you ‘cause now you have millions of eyes on you."
