Shaq has dispeled Ice Spice romance rumors, revealing he’s never made a play for the up-and-comer.
In a recent episode of his Big Podcast With Shaq, the iconic NBA player confessed that while he finds the curly-coiffed rapper “so dam fine,” referring to their Super Bowl LVIII encounter, he was merely throwing her a compliment, TMZ Sports reports.
“The reason why I put out the post with Ice Spice, not ’cause I was trying to flirt, but I didn’t really blow her off, but I just wanted to show her some respect too,” said Shaq.
“That’s why I put the post up because I was in there and it was all about, ‘Oh, Shaq met Taylor’ and [Ice Spice] was in the picture.”
The photo in question, posted on Instagram by Shaq, captures the Hall of Famer towering over the “Munch” rapper, alongside Taylor Swift, as they lean in for a photo op, in Taylor’s suite during halftime. While the photo itself garnered attention, it was Shaq’s spicy caption that truly went viral.
Although his explanation doesn’t entirely clarify his caption choice, Shaq emphasized that when it comes to wooing the ladies, his flirting style is anything but conventional.
“I don’t flirt like that,” Shaq said. “Just ’cause I say ‘hi’ don’t mean I’m tryna slide in the DMs.”
We previously reported that the 51-year-old admitted to crushing on Ice Spice, writing, “and @icespice is so dam fine thanks @taylorswift.”
The caption sparked a frenzy of mixed reactions. With over 800,000 likes and more than 8,000 comments pouring in within 24 hours, fans suggested Shaq was playfully teasing the Bronx rap star.
“Shaq shot his shot… but it was a free throw,” commented one user, while another expressed surprise, saying, “The last thing I’d expect on my page is Shaq saying ice spice is fine.”
“Shaq you not even the fart,” wrote @thenerdyman2001. “Shaq bruh u got kids older than her,” wrote @itsknoxbro.