Shaquille O’Neal has faced plenty of intimidating opponents in his Hall of Fame basketball career, but none quite like the one that greeted him at Mike Tyson’s mansion.
During a recent episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq recounted the jaw-dropping moment he met Tyson’s white tiger, and nearly lost control of his bowels.
“It’s a true story,” Shaq began. “We come to his house, ring the bell. Dingdong. I hear a ‘Come in!’ So I open the door, right? There’s nobody in the lobby. I start walking… and a f***ing tiger comes running down the stairs”.
Yes, a real white tiger. Not a statue. Not a painting. A living, breathing, 500-pound apex predator barreling toward one of the most physically dominant athletes in history. Shaq’s reaction? Pure panic.
“I turn around and I’m trying to get to the thing,” he said. “Then Mike comes and he starts wrestling the tiger”.
Tyson, known for his love of exotic animals, famously kept three Bengal tigers during his heyday, including one named Kenya, who reportedly slept in his bedroom. But for Shaq, the sight of Tyson casually grappling with a full-grown tiger was enough to make him rethink everything.
“I told my boy, ‘I’m not a gambling man, but I wish I had a million dollars to put on the fight. I just saw this man stop a full-grown f***ing tiger. He’s about to kill this dude’”.
Despite the terrifying welcome, the two legends have remained close friends ever since. From prison visits to podcast banter, their bond is built on mutual respect, and a shared history of outrageous moments.
