wishes

Shaq Has a Pretty Reasonable Explanation for Kazaam

Photo: Touchstone Pictures

Basketball star turned commentator and Twitter master Shaquille O’Neal has dabbled in many off-the-court projects over the years, as GQ details in this quick sitdown, but none are quite so memorable as his 1996 genie-in-a-boombox movie Kazaam. How, exactly, did Shaq find himself granting wishes in a brocade waistcoat? “I was a medium-level juvenile delinquent from Newark who always dreamed about doing a movie. Someone said, ‘Hey, here’s $7 million, come in and do this genie movie.’ What am I going to say, no?” Totally fair! For the record, Shaq also watches Kazaam on the regular (or he watched it “the other day,” at least — that seems more regular than most people?). And his three wishes would be to take care of his family; to own all the Condé Nast magazines; and to have nine NBA championships. Quick, does anyone know a supernatural being who could arrange wish No. 2? Vogue by Shaq!

Shaq Has a Pretty Reasonable Explanation for Kazaam