Shaquille O'Neal Defends Himself After Appearance in Wild Netflix Docuseries 'Tiger King'
TNT basketball analyst and former NBA big man Shaquille O’Neal is defending himself after being connected to controversial big cat owner Joe Exotic.
In the hit Netflix documentary series “Tiger King,” O’Neal is seen visiting the GW Zoo in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, which eventually became the site of an investigation into numerous federal crimes.
If you haven’t yet seen the show, I won’t spoil it for you — except to say the seven-episode series follows the shockingly dramatic lives of private big cat owners and their interactions with one another.
The most controversial of the tiger owners in the series is Joe Exotic, a homosexual, polygamist Second Amendment activist who launched failed bids for U.S. president and governor of Oklahoma in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
Exotic also has a really bad haircut and is accused of exploiting animals.
If you are finding that you have some extra time on your hands….
The news docuseries #TigerKing is a MUST WATCH on @netflix.
It’ll keep you indoors and socially distanced…. just trust me on this one. #tcnt pic.twitter.com/D7x67ugNzh
— Nick Zerwas (@NickZerwas) March 24, 2020
O’Neal is spotted in the series visiting Exotic’s tigers, and the two appear together with a tiger in a post on the zoo’s Instagram account.
https://www.instagram.com/p/vqx3ryFinO/
Many on social media criticized the NBA legend for his ties to Joe Exotic, with some suggesting he had purchased tigers from the mulleted big cat owner.
We really just going to let Shaq off the hook from hanging out and BUYING Tigers from Joe Exotic #TigerKingNetflix #Tigerking pic.twitter.com/QSCmWas2Co
— Billy Roby (@TheChillBill77) March 26, 2020
I got a question. Why is @SHAQ buying tigers from #TigerKing ?
— TheeCobra (@BryanEarhart) March 24, 2020
@SHAQ how many Tigers you got from Joe?
— ?TheLumber (@MitchellUhland) March 30, 2020
(In 2015, O’Neal talked about owning two white tigers, which he said he had purchased 10 years earlier. He said the animals lived on a farm in Jacksonville, Florida.)
On the latest episode of O’Neal’s “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” the Hall of Famer addressed the backlash and admitted to financially supporting Exotic’s collection of big cats.
O’Neal said he came across the GW Zoo after seeing a sign for it while he was in Oklahoma covering a game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks several years ago.
“I was just a visitor. I met this guy. Not my friend. Don’t know him. Never had any business dealings with him, and I had no idea any of that stuff was going on,” O’Neal said on the podcast.
Shaq went on to admit that he made cash donations to the zoo — as he has done with other animal sanctuaries — but said he pulled support upon hearing what went on there.
“Do I put donations to zoos to help these tigers out? I do,” he said. “Do I own tigers personally at my house? No. But I love tigers.”
“People that know me know that I’m righteous. I don’t harm tigers. I love tigers,” O’Neal said. “We found out that he’s involved with all the stuff, and then, actually, I stopped going.”
Shaq recommended watching “Tiger King,” describing it as “a really good documentary.”
The Netflix series has captured the attention of much of the country as millions are stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Even Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has commented on the wild series.
Me: *Running out of things to keep me entertained during quarantine*
Netflix: pic.twitter.com/USWDLPmxaH
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 28, 2020
As a lifelong Oklahoman, I can assure anyone reading this that a vast majority of us had no idea of the extent of Joe Exotic’s depravity — much less the unsavory things that were going on at his private zoo.
So, I believe O’Neal did nothing wrong.
You’ll just have to make that determination for yourself if you feel inclined to watch the series — which is definitely not family-friendly.
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