There's an interesting back story to Shaquille O'Neal's new ABC show Shaq Vs. that has been recently unearthed. To those that are unfamiliar with the show, Shaq challenges athletes to head-to-head competitions in their respective sports. Athletes participating include Ben Roethlisberger, Osacr De la Hoya, Albert Pujols and Michael Phelps. Shaq has long asserted that he came up with the idea as a way to challenge himself and give his off-season training an interesting twist, the thing is the idea wasn't his at all. According to numerous reports Shaq stole the concept of the show from his former Phoenix Suns teammate Steve Nash.
The smoking gun in this case is the fact that Steve Nash appears as an Executive Producer in the credits of the show.
Shortly after O'Neal was traded to the Suns in February 2008, Nash mentioned to his new teammate a reality show he was pursuing. It would feature the Suns point guard taking on professional athletes in their own sport.
The topic didn't come up again until early in the 2008-09 season, when O'Neal boarded the Suns bus and told the team he would be starring in a new reality show in which he would be taking on, you got it, professional athletes in their own sport.
"You mean the idea you stole from me?" one Suns representative said he heard Nash say.
Nash eventually sought out an entertainment lawyer, according to sources, which is why he now has an executive-producer credit and the compensation that comes with it. Source: The Arizona Republic
So what does Steve Nash think of the show?
"We collaborated on parts of the show," he said. "I support him 100 percent. I thought the first episode was a fantastic episode, and I can't wait for the next one."
You have to wonder if this played into the decision at all that saw Nash re-sign with the Suns as free agent shortly after Shaq was traded away to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The smoking gun in this case is the fact that Steve Nash appears as an Executive Producer in the credits of the show.
Shortly after O'Neal was traded to the Suns in February 2008, Nash mentioned to his new teammate a reality show he was pursuing. It would feature the Suns point guard taking on professional athletes in their own sport.
The topic didn't come up again until early in the 2008-09 season, when O'Neal boarded the Suns bus and told the team he would be starring in a new reality show in which he would be taking on, you got it, professional athletes in their own sport.
"You mean the idea you stole from me?" one Suns representative said he heard Nash say.
Nash eventually sought out an entertainment lawyer, according to sources, which is why he now has an executive-producer credit and the compensation that comes with it. Source: The Arizona Republic
So what does Steve Nash think of the show?
"We collaborated on parts of the show," he said. "I support him 100 percent. I thought the first episode was a fantastic episode, and I can't wait for the next one."
You have to wonder if this played into the decision at all that saw Nash re-sign with the Suns as free agent shortly after Shaq was traded away to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
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