By admin 
Shaquille O’Neal was arguably the most polarizing and intimidating big man the NBA had ever seen. The three-time Finals MVP was nearly impossible to overpower on the court, while even off it, Shaq’s seven-foot frame and 325-pound build were enough to make most people think twice before messing with him.
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Yet, as unbelievable as it sounds, a teenage Glen Davis once managed to body slam prime O’Neal, despite having no intention of turning their encounter into a wrestling match. That was the kind of strength “Big Baby” possessed even at a young age.
And if Davis is to be believed, that unexpected encounter occurred when, before the age of social media, he tried to stalk and follow Shaq around.
“Shaq was a real playful guy. When I first met him, it was kinda crazy because I was stalking him a little bit,” Davis said. “I was literally 15, 16, my friend was driving and we were following him and I ended up eating dinner with him.”
Prime Shaq wanted to wrestle young Davis
As strange as the entire situation was, Davis was already surprised that following Shaq around had somehow led to him having dinner with the four-time NBA champion.
However, Shaq, being Shaq, in his trademark way, challenged Glen to a wrestling match midway through their meal.
Even though he was caught by surprise, once the competition began, Davis, as a mere teenager, did not take long to make the NBA’s most intimidating center realize what true brute strength really was.
“He’s like, ‘Come outside.’ I’m like, ‘What for? What do you want me outside for?’ He’s like, ‘Let’s wrestle!’ I’m like, ‘What the hell? I’m trying to eat my spaghetti,’” Davis recalled. “So we end up wrestling, man and I pinned him on the ground.”
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O’Neal and “Big Baby” got together on the court
“Big Baby” has retold the story on a previous occasion, and one detail has remained particularly memorable: even Shaq was stunned by what the teenager had just managed to do.
“He was like, ‘Got damn. You’re a big a— kid!’” Davis told DJ Vlad previously. “So that’s how me and his relationship really started.”
It’s hard to imagine anybody body-slamming a beast of O’Neal’s size, but if anyone could have pulled it off, a young Glen certainly had the strength to do it. Despite O’Neal being at least 50 pounds heavier than Davis at the time, “Big Baby” managed to use his strength and wrestling ability to get the much bigger man onto the ground.
That story becomes even more interesting when considering that both these men eventually shared the court during the 2010-11 season, while being members of the Boston Celtics.
And when the team failed to win a championship that year, who knows? Considering Shaq’s tendency to seek revenge, he may have body-slammed Davis.
Nevertheless, at least the admission shows how the visuals of those previous decades still live rent-free in his mind. Also, it would be interesting to ask Shaq about it, to really see if Davis is telling the truth, or if he’s adding some extra details that didn’t happen to the story.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 4:17 AM.