Shaquille O’Neal and Adam Sandler have been friends for quite some time, so, Sandler finding out his homie’s real age was a bit of a shock for the veteran comedian.
During the former NBA player’s June 4 podcast, The Big Podcast With Shaq, Sandler discovered the information while they discussed the Just Go With It actor’s newest Netflix movie, The Hustle.
After O’Neal complimented Sandler about doing well as a 55-year-old, the podcast co-host Nischelle Turner asked him about including O’Neal in his upcoming Netflix movie, The Hustle, which will include many NBA players. Sandler responded with,
“Oh, that’s true. That would’ve been incredible. You’re right.”
“I think it was my age. I’m so much older than Shaq, I’m 55,” Sandler added.
Sandler didn’t expect O’Neal to reveal that his comment wasn’t true and that he wasn’t much older than him. He’s 50 years old. The actor was audibly shocked.
He assumed that O’Neal was much younger than him, causing co-host Spice Adams to claim that the former NBA player dyes his beard. O’Neal revealed that the comment wasn’t entirely true, that it was reversed. Instead of dying his beard to appear younger, he said that he used to dye his beard white to appear older.
In response to his statement, the entire crew laughter, and Nischelle joked saying, “You didn’t make it white, Shaquille. You got older.”
Why Sandler didn’t know O’Neal’s actual age is unclear, especially considering the two have been friends since O’Neal started playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. In an interview with Pop Culture, O’neal revealed that the basketball fanatic Sandler would sit courtside at his games with Jack Nicolson. The basketball legend claimed he would ask the actor to put him in one of his movies.
“Win a championship first,” Sandler told him, which is actually what he did — four championships.
“He called me up one day and said, ‘Shaq, you got four championships, I ow you four movies,” Shaq said.
Shaq also starred in a few movies with Sandler like Blended, Grown Ups, and Grown Ups 2.
