No, it isn't Shaquille O'Neal. The 7-foot-1 NBA legend dismissed rumors about his personal life after influencer Maria Ozuna Teachey shared a picture on Instagram showing a tall, unidentified suitor with large hands resting on her shoulders. As usual, online sleuths speculated that the person in the photo might be O'Neal, 52, but they will be disappointed.
On Wednesday, the four-time NBA champion took to social media to personally put an end to the speculation. "Nope not the kid," O'Neal commented on a post on WorldStar's Instagram page, according to TMZ. However, Teachey, who boasts over 200,000 Instagram followers, reportedly shared a cryptic post that appeared to challenge O'Neal's denial.
Shaq Denies He Is in a Relationship
On Tuesday, Teachey shared a photo with a man, inviting her followers to guess his identity. The man, who towers over Teachey, had his hands resting on her chest, though his face was hidden. In the caption, she wrote, "Can y'all guess whose feet? #loveyou."
NBA fans quickly speculated that the mystery man was O'Neal, convinced they had uncovered his new secret relationship.
However, the 7-foot-1 basketball legend, who was married to Shaunie O'Neal from 2002 to 2011, shut down the rumors, debunking the rumors on Instagram. He also shared several photos of himself mimicking the same pose as the man in the viral image.
"Is this my girlfriend too, trust me I'll let yall know who my woman is,and by the way my woman name is Shaqirah," he wrote.
Shaq captioned a follow-up post, "I will let yall know when I'm in love."
Drama Continues
However, the drama appears to continue, as The Shade Room shared a screenshot of an intriguing message that was reportedly posted by Teachey on the same day. "Come on Kid . A time was Had," the caption read. "Why he lie to yall man."
Shaq, now a well-known NBA analyst, became the subject of fan jokes after the photo surfaced.
"Shaq think we can't see him," one user mockingly wrote on social media. "Shaq and his new girlfriend," wrote another user.
This isn't the first time O'Neal has made headlines alongside a social media influencer.
Last June, the NBA Hall of Famer caught attention with his interaction with internet star Ariana Josephine, also known as "Home Depot Girl," while a dinner with Brittany Renner in Beverly Hills around the same time also went viral.
