This needs to happen. In an interview with Broadcasting & Cable editor-in-chief Ben Grossman, newly minted Boston Celtic Shaquille O’Neal says that when he retires from basketball, he wants his own TV show.
Not a sports show mind you, but a comedy show.
When I asked what he would want to do, he said he has one idea firmly in mind. “Honestly? I would love to do a Dave Chappelle-type show,” he said.
AdvertisementShaq’s very own sketch comedy show. And he wants to write and act in it. So, network execs, if you think Shaq can bring the funny, here’s your chance to go get him.
As Grossman notes in the column, O’Neal is a seriously funny dude, so a sketch comedy show might actually have a shot at being watchable.
Grossman also asks O’Neal about “The Decision,” the ESPN program starring his former teammate LeBron James:
I had to ask the big fella if – when he decides what he’s going to do post-hoops – he plans to make the announcement in the form of an hour-long special on television, as his former teammate did. “No,” he said sternly, like he had just swatted away one of my weak drives to the lane. When I asked what he thought of The Decision, he took a minute and clearly chose his words very cautiously. “Everyone is different how they handle their stuff,” he said.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement. But when Shaq’s new comedy show comes out, every NBA player will have a place to reveal their new teams. You can bet it will be Shaquilicious.