Watch: Shaquille O'Neal takes surprise smack on head during Jumbotron feature

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Shaquille O'Neal smacked on the back of his head.

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal was welcomed during his attendance at the semifinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament on Thursday. While sitting courtside, O'Neal was featured on the jumbotron. While waving at the fans, he was greeted with a surprise.

The tournament had some of the former stars present in the game. Aside from Shaq, Julius "Dr. J" Erving and LaMarcus Aldridge were present. Fans cheered for all three stars as they were honored by the league.

When it was Shaq's turn, he waved to the fans in front of the camera. As he was doing so, he was smacked on the back of his head by surprise. The former All-Star for the LA Lakers couldn't help but laugh it off. Watch how the four-time champion was hit on the head.

As it turns out, the suspect behind Shaq getting hit behind his head was his son, Shareef. The father and son were laughing together as the camera zoomed out to reveal the culprit.

The Indiana Pacers took on the Milwaukee Bucks in the semifinals for the East. For the West, the Lakers are up against the New Orleans Pelicans. Shaquille O'Neal and the TNT crew teamed up with ESPN to cover all games for the semis.

You might also be interested in reading this: Fans react as Dana White hilariously steps in to settle Shaquille O’Neal vs. Charles Barkley beef in Power Slap


Shaquille O'Neal names the Bucks as title favorites

The Bucks have a chance at winning the NBA Cup and the Larry O'Brien Trophy in the same season. With their trade last summer, Milwaukee has improved its offense. Trading for Damian Lillard has turned them into one of the title favorites for the 2023-24 NBA season.

Among those who believe in them is Shaquille O'Neal, who recently labeled the Bucks as the title favorites.

"This team right here is my favorite to win the championship," O'Neal said. "This team is built for championships. You have a great big man. You have a great closer — a guy who is a great free-throw shooter — and you have two others who can give you a high point games in (Khris) Middleton and (Brook) Lopez.
"They should start sending the messages now. If you can win the In-Season Tournament and then the Larry O'Brien, that just shows everyone that you have really been focused all season. ... They have the perfect championship team."

The Bucks have shown how great they are on the offensive end this season. But their defensive struggles have been their biggest flaw. They're 22nd in defensive rating, but they make it up by having the third-best offense. Losing Jrue Holiday has caused the Bucks to struggle on defense, but Lillard's offense has helped them win.

Also read: Jayson Tatum snubs Shaquille O'Neal but picks 3 Lakers legends on his All-Time top NBA players: "I respect what he did"

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