/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69969565/shaq.0.jpg)
Stop what you’re doing and marvel at the wondrous sight of 7’1” Shaquille O’Neal donning what we can only assume is a 9XL Seattle Kraken jersey and whipping through the city streets on an electric scooter.
Well OK, @SHAQ riding a scooter down a Seattle street wearing a @SeattleKraken jersey. He did make it back up the hill BTW. @NBAonTNT #KOMONews pic.twitter.com/7p0QWX56Ry
— Doug Pigsley (@DougPigsleyKOMO) October 7, 2021
Majestic, magical, a sight to behold. Once he got a handle on the steering, he appears to become one with the scooter, a man defined by a life on the road. Despite Doug Pigsley’s assertion that Shaq made it back up the hill, part of me wants to believe he simply coasted down and off into the sunset. Off to have his own adventures, getting into to some wacky sitcom-esque trouble all while wearing the deep sea and ice blue sweater of our hometown.
O’Neal was in town to promote his restaurant, Big Chicken, which will feature not one but TWO locations inside Climate Pledge Arena this year. Here he is with executive chef Molly De Mers explaining what his chicken joint will bring to the city.
Let @SHAQ and executive chef Molly De Mers enhance your experience with Big Chicken, coming to Climate Pledge Arena. @komonews pic.twitter.com/yn7KgoNDng
— Clint Edwards (@Clint_Edwards) October 8, 2021
In addition to roaming the city on what we can only assume is one of the most powerful scooters known to man, he also made time to tour the new arena. Are there photos of said tour? I’m glad you asked.
Not only will the Big Chicken eatery be equipped w/Just Walk Out technology, it will also be home to offerings like the Kraken—a Seattle exclusive sandwich made w/Buffalo sauce, bleu cheese and cream cheese.
— Climate Pledge Arena (@ClimateArena) October 7, 2021
Get ready for big flavor, big food, and big fun w/every order. pic.twitter.com/gVXSbtwc2b
Perhaps the most important part of this whole story, aside from just being generally rad as a whole, was O’Neal’s assessment of the arena itself. He joined Dave Mahler on 950 KJR Sports later in the day and gave his enthusiastic approval of the Greenhouse.
Shaquille O'Neal with us now says @ClimateArena is "the best arena I've ever seen."
— Dave “Softy” Mahler (@Softykjr) October 7, 2021
High praise from a man who has played in every NBA arena over the course of a 19-year basketball career. Hopefully this is a sign that he will be pivoting to hockey because at this point there’s very little I want more in the world than Shaq giving commentary from between the benches. Make it happen, TNT.
Not a photoshop job, this is Shaq himself rocking a Kraken jersey! pic.twitter.com/xLT6cfRIQ0
— Jubilee Le (@jubacca51) October 7, 2021