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Shaquille O'Neal is perhaps the most dominant player in NBA history. He was easily the most bruising big man in the game before he retired in 2011.
At times, Shaq would need some pain relievers to help soothe his muscles after a long night of taking hard shots. His first encounter with IcyHot didn’t end up too well for him, though.
In an interview with talk show host Conan O’Brien two years ago, O’Neal narrated an unforgettable mishap:
"I always used to see IcyHot in the locker room, and one day I kind of had like a thigh bruise, and the guy [trainer] rubbed it, but he rubbed it too high. So during the game, my little guys started getting hot - like, really hot. Like, I thought something was wrong.
"And it got to the point where I was like, 'Hey man, I think I need a doctor. My little guys are on fire.' So he was like, 'Oh, I think I put the IcyHot too high.'"
Shaquille O'Neal continued that he promptly left the game once a timeout was called to go to the locker room and shower. As much as he poured water on his “little guys,” the discomfort didn’t even subside.
It was only when a janitor instructed him to use milk did he feel relieved:
"So now I'm in the shower pouring milk on my boys and the guys coming in, they're looking at me like, 'What the hell are you doing?' But the milk actually worked. So then when I meet with IcyHot, I was like, 'You know what? It's hot. You guys, this company works.'"
Here's the full Conan O'Brien interview with Shaq
Shaquille O'Neal has endorsed Icy Hot since 2003
Shaquille O'Neal’s unforgettable first experience with IcyHot paid huge dividends for him and the company. The pain reliever, which is part of Sanofi Consumer Healthcare, has been endorsed by Shaq since 2003.
The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation and IcyHot combined forces to initiate “Comebaq Courts” in 2021. They successfully fixed, refurbished and upgraded decaying public basketball courts.
The LA Lakers legend campaigned for the program on various fronts. He appeared in interviews with USA Today, Yahoo, Sports Illustrated and many others to shine the spotlight on their project.
Shaq and IcyHot didn’t just stop there. They opened a new basketball court and then hosted a tournament in Las Vegas on “The Shaq Court at Doolittle” for nearly 100 kids.
Shaquille O'Neal may no longer have hard basketball fouls as part of his daily routine. However, his partnership with IcyHot has continued to this day.
You may also like to read: Why did Shaq get traded thrice? Reasons behind Shaquille O'Neal playing for multiple teams in NBA career
