The Shaq connection to a story involving an Oklahoma wild animal park and it’s main characters continues to splash across social media and online news outlets. Have you seen any of the “Tiger King” episodes on Netflix yet? The docu-series has been making headlines for a number of reasons, including criminal charges against the park’s owner, a man who goes by the name of Joe Exotic.
O’Neal’s part in the bigger story has been a small one. He’s talked openly about his enjoyment of big cats, and of making a monetary contribution to the park. Shaq has also appeared on at least one of the Netflix episodes about the park and the bigger story around it.
And while he may be hoping that’s the end of the story – at least as far as his connection – fellow NBA commentator Charles Barkley does not seem to be ready to finish the story just yet.
On a recent episode of “The Steam Room” – a basketball-related podcast (and YouTube video series) featuring “Inside the NBA” regulars Ernie Johnson and Barkley, “Sir Charles” put on a pretty good impression of a prosecuting attorney, asking Shaq about the show and his involvement with Joe Exotic.
In a Q&A session between the two, O’Neal had a few moments where it was obvious the big man was trying to collect his thoughts and tell his side of the story. At one point Barkley noted, “There’s a lot of stuttering going on right there!”
Shaq told the story of how he first came across the park and got involved on a recent “Steam Room” show. “Remember when OKC was playing San Antonio [in the playoffs]? You guys were flying, but I was driving. So on the way there, on the highway, I saw a sign that said tigers. That was the first time I went. I went, said hi, gave him some money to give me a couple white tigers.”
That first visit happened in 2014, when he saw the park and met Joe Exotic. “Then I think we went to Oklahoma City one more time so I only saw Joe once,” O’Neal said. He also said he was warned to not come back to the park, once legal issues began to surface. Shaq: “The second time I went, they was like, ‘Hey man, they don’t think you should come back, a lot of stuff is going on.’ And I never went back.”
Exotic — whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage — is currently in jail after being found guilty of a murder-for-hire plot on his rival, Carole Baskin. Baskin was an animal-rights advocate who had long accused Exotic of animal cruelty.
O’Neal was quick to point out that he doesn’t own any tigers… but that he does make donations to zoos to take care of the big cats. Check the video below – courtesy of the New York Post – for more of Shaq’s thoughts on the story.