NBA Legend, 54, Debuts Dramatically Different Hair
The 7-foot-1 athlete and analyst has been bald for 30 years.
LUCY NICHOLSON/AFP via Getty Images
Shaquille O’Neal has shocked longtime fans with a dramatic new look featuring a luscious head of hair.
The four-time NBA Champion and playful social media personality, who has been bald for three decades, showed off two completely new hairstyles in Nov. 4 Instagram posts.
Shaquille O'Neal, seen attending The Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber in 2015, has been bald for decades.
Kevin Mazur/Kevin Mazur/WireImage
In the first video, barber Chuck Taylor removes a blue towel from the retired basketball legend’s head, revealing a dark brown, tightly coiled hairpiece that falls to his cheeks.
“I don’t care what y’all say, my boy Chuck Taylor’s wife hooked me up with the man weave,” O’Neal, 54, said in the video, smiling proudly.
Shaquille O'Neal unveiled a shocking new style in a Nov. 4 Instagram post.
Shaquille O'Neal/Instagram
“Oh yeah, that thing nice right there,” he continued.
He added that he “still” has the same receding hairline as ESPN sports analyst Stephen A. Smith, 59, who has become the punchline of a long-running internet meme for his hair.
Stephen A. Smith's receding hairline has long been an internet joke.
Paras Griffin/Getty Images
Fans of the 7-foot-1 star—who nicknamed himself “The Big Aristotle” after winning his first MVP award with the Lakers in 2000—quickly commented on his post, which garnered more than 17,000 likes.
Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant, Rick Fox, Lindsey Hunter, and Shaquille O'Neal hold their trophies after winning the 2002 NBA Championship Finals. O'Neal was named finals MVP for the third year in a row.
New York Daily News Archive/Keith Torrie/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images
“What ya doing, man?” one person asked.
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“Shaw looks like Larry from The Three Stooges,” another fan joked.
“Noooo, keep your bald head,” another person added.
Shaquille O'Neal revealed a new rust-brown bob in a Nov. 4 Instagram post.
Shaquille O'Neal/Instagram
The Inside the NBA analyst continued experimenting with new hairstyles, sharing a later post where he debuted a rust-brown bob reminiscent of the Shrek antagonist Lord Farquaad.
“Can any hair transplant doctors make me look like this? I’ll pay one million dollars, and then I’ll change my name to Big Muddy,” O’Neal captioned the post.
“Shaq got that good hair,” one commenter mused.
Another fan told him to “gas up the plane for a Turkey trip.”
Fans of the basketball star shared their candid thoughts about his new hairdo in the comments on his post.
The dad of six has previously joked about his hair, or lack thereof, starring in a viral commercial for the Istanbul-based phone operator, Turkcell, where he underwent a mock hair-restoration procedure in Turkey.
Shaquille O'Neal wore a humorous hairpiece in a viral Turkcell advertisement.
Turkcell/YouTube
In 2020, he unveiled a receding, grown-out hairline after losing a bet to former basketball star Dwyane Wade.
O’Neal shares one child with his ex-girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh, whom he dated from 1992 to 1996, and five biological and adopted children with his ex-wife, Shaunie Henderson, whom he was married to from 2002 to 2011.
LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal were teammates on the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2009-2010 season.
Aaron Josefczyk/REUTERS
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