"He was a legend cover athlete first": Shaquille O'Neal once got hilariously bamboozled by Kobe Bryant in a 2017 NBA2K commercial 

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant once teamed up for a hilarious NBA 2K commercial in 2017 after the two men were retired from the league. After Allen Iverson four-peated as the cover athlete for the first four editions of NBA 2K, Ben Wallace appeared on the NBA 2K5 cover.

Then came Shaquille O'Neal, who went back-to-back as an NBA cover athlete in NBA 2K6 and NBA 2K7. Fast forward to NBA 2K10 and Shaquille O'Neal's former teammate Kobe Bryant adorned the cover of the game.

It wasn't until NBA 2K17 that either man returned to the cover, with Bryant being selected as the 'Legendary Edition' cover athlete. The following year, when Shaquille O'Neal was selected as the 'Legend' and 'Legend Edition Gold' cover athlete, he and Kobe Bryant starred in a commercial promoting the game.

The commercial starts with O'Neal up at the podium behind both of the 'Legend Edition' copies of the game. As he spoke to media members in attendance, he thanked his family and his coaches who helped him get to that point.

Things then quickly took a hilarious turn, with O'Neal thanking Kobe Bryant as he read a teleprompter. The camera then panned to the back of the room where Bryant was typing away on the teleprompter. Shaq said:

"But most of all, I would like to thank Kobe Bryant. He was a NBA 2K Legend Cover Athlete first."

Check out the hilarious commercial below:

How NBA 2K is using Shaquille O'Neal to promote the Kobe Bryant NBA 2K24 'Mamba Moments'

Given the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, NBA 2K has tapped O'Neal to assist with the promotion for the game. In addition to the fact that fans can reunite Bryant and O'Neal on the court together in MyTeam, fans can also play as the duo in 'Mamba Moments'.

The series of challenges, similar to the 'Jordan Challenges' in the past, give players the opportunity to relive some of Bryant's greatest achievements. Or, as O'Neal put it, 'Mamba & Shaq moments'. While promoting the game in a trailer prior to its release, O'Neal spoke about the immersive experience for players.

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“NBA 2K24 has epic Mamba Moments you can play. Or, as I think it should be called, Mamba & Shaq because I was there too, moments.”

With NBA 2K24 already released, fans may already be diving head first into the Mamba Moments. However, if you aren't sold, check out O'Neal's promo below!