Shaquille O’Neal caused a minor frenzy with a video of himself strumming a riff on an acoustic guitar that looked comically small in his hands.
The clip was posted to his Instagram page on March 3.
The riff of choice for the American former pro basketball player: “Never Too Late,” the 2007 single from Canadian rock band Three Days Grace. The song was released that year as the third track from the group’s second album, One-X.
“Yes, I can do it all,” Shaq wrote in his post.
To be fair, Shaq has previously been seen jamming with Australian kids group the Wiggles, where he played “Hot Potato” on a Maton guitar, the brand favored by acoustic shredder Tommy Emmanuel.
But it wasn’t just Shaq’s guitar skills that had fans excited. Many commented on how tiny the guitar looked in the 7-foot-one, 325-pound center’s hands.
“A normal sized guitar looks like a toy,” wrote one fan.
“Oh shit, he plays the Ukulele?” asked another
“Thought it was a ukulele at first lol,” wrote a third.
Astute fans will recall that, in fact, Shaq had previously shared a brief video of himself miming to the song with an acoustic guitar while sitting in an office chair. Apparently it’s a favorite of his.
Shaq’s musical skills shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. Beyond his basketball career, O’Neal is a rap artist with four album to his credit, the first of which, Shaq Dieselwent Platinum. He’s also a music producer and Dj who goes by the name Diesel.
The Three Days Grace tune he’s strumming was a chart-topping hit. Written by the band’s singer and rhythm guitarist, Adam Gontier, it deals with depression and suicidal ideation.
And while it was most likely aimed at the group’s young audience, “Never Too Late” was also a hit with older listeners. It’s the band’s only crossover hit to date, having charted on both the Mainstream Top 40 and the Adult Top 40, at numbers 12 and 13, respectively.
As for Shaq, fans are now wondering what will be next in the former basketball pro’s music career. If he keeps it up with guitar, let’s hope he goes for jumbo acoustic to match his jumbo height.
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