Shaquille O’Neal addressed some internet gossip about himself and social media influencer Maria Ozuna Teachey.
The NBA legend found himself in the internet hot seat when a photograph shared by Maria sparked some wild theories about them dating.
The Instagram photo featured a tall man with large hands resting on her shoulders, and the caption said: “Unapologetically us …. Can yall guess who feet? #loveyou #bigfillyneverthelittleone.”
The internet sparked wild theories about Shaquille O’Neal after social media influencer Maria Ozuna Teachey shared a picture of a man with his arms resting on her shoulders
Image credits: Maria Ozuna Teachey / Facebook
Fans speculated whether the big arms belonged to the 52-year-old sports star himself.
Although several people were convinced that the mystery man was the 7-foot-1 icon, he wasted no time in setting the record straight. He jumped into the comment section of a post by WorldStar which said, “Folks on social media seem to think #Shaq has a new girlfriend.”
“Nope, not the kid,” said the NBA Hall of Famer.
The NBA legend shared a video with photos of himself posing with other women in a similar fashion
While video creator Maria did not address the attention, Shaq went on to share another post on Instagram, posing with several girls in a similar fashion.
“Is this my girlfriend too, trust me I’ll let y'all know who my woman is, and by the way, my woman name is Shaqirah,” he wrote in the caption.
The next post that went up on his Instagram timeline featured the basketball star in another video of himself with the caption: “I will let yall know when I’m in love.”
The basketball star also posted two follow-up videos, one of which included a woman calling herself his girlfriend
He then posted another video that featured a woman calling herself the girlfriend of the four-time NBA champion.
Adding a twist to the saga, The Shade Room shared a screenshot of what appeared to be a playful message from Maria herself.
“Come on Kid . A time was Had,” the message read. “Why he lie to yall man.”
Swipe right below to see a screenshot of what some netizens believe was a message from Maria
The Big Diesel has been fairly private about his love life in recent years. He was married to ex-wife Shaunie Henderson from 2002 to 2011.
“Looking back, I don’t know that I was ever really in love with the man, but I was in love with the idea of being married to the man I had a family with," Shaunie wrote in her memoir Undefeated: Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms, which was released in May.