Shaquille O’Neal. Jay-Z. Eminem. And a mind-blowing AI twist no one saw coming. The internet is losing its mind over a wild baby mashup that blends these icons into something so bizarre, so hypnotic, you have to see it to believe it.
Dec 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Shaquille O’Neal arrives on the red carpet before the Emirates NBA Cup semifinal game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images / Candice Ward-Imagn Images
NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal has always been known as a larger than life figure.
He played at 7-foot-1 and 330 pounds for most of his career but one social media user found a way to show us “Baby Shaq.” Instagram user junkboxai posted an incredible mashup of some of today’s top celebrities as babies. It included O’Neal, Mike Tyson, Bruce Lee, Tupac, Jay-Z, Eminem and Snoop Dogg.
The video, which had 27,000 likes and 1,000 comments within a few hours, was likable enough for O’Neal share on his social media. Here’s a look:
LUCK RUNS OUT FOR FORMER ALL-STAR IN 1998 TRADE
NBA great Kenny Anderson had the worst of luck in 1998.
At the time, he was playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. They were on the cusp of contending in the Western Conference with the Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Lakers.
Then it all went downhill for Anderson. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Damon Stoudamire.
On the 27-year anniversary of the deal, Anderson still expressed how upset he was about the move. Here’s what he posted on social media along with the clip of the newspaper article: “To this day, I got traded, I was hurt!!!”
Anderson never played for the Raptors, refusing to report because he did not want to play in Canada. Later, he was traded to a mostly rebuilding Boston Celtics team.
The Blazers, meanwhile, built one of the most stacked teams in league history that included Stoudamire, Rasheed Wallace, Bonzi Wells, Stacey Augmon, Steve Smith, Jermaine O’Neal and Detlef Schrempf.
In 2020, the Blazers came within one victory of defeating the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant Lakers in the conference finals.
Talk about bad luck for Anderson.
LEBRON APPLAUDS NBA BILLIONAIRE
Everyone knows Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James are part of the exclusive NBA billionaire club.
Few, however, are aware of the fourth member of this group.
Jabari Young of Forbes tells the incredible story of former player Junior Bridgeman, who built a successful business empire after retiring in 1987. He spent most of his 12-year career with the Milwaukee Bucks. In the article, James and Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas show their respect for Bridgeman.
“He didn’t waste his time just thinking about the game of basketball,” James tells Forbes.
Thomas added, “Legendary. “He’s the real success story. A pioneer and a great businessman.”
