Shaq Sticks a Wad of Big Red Gum Under the Bench Before Every Game

It’s no secret that Shaquille O’Neal is one weird character.  He dressed up as a woman for Halloween and posed as a little girl to help catch sexual predators.  He may or may not have a man crush on Tom Brady.  But does he have to make more work for the arena custodians before every game he plays in?

In an episode of his NESN show, After the Game: Work Hard, Live Well, Give Back, Shaq tells us about a strange habit he’s had for his entire career.  Before every game, Shaq said he sticks a wad of Big Red gum under the bench.  Big Daddy Diesel said he chews four pieces of the gum before every game and then shoves it under his seat.

“I’ve been doing that for 19 years,” Shaq said.

There’s weird and then there’s just annoying.  The question is does every chair Shaq’s ever shat in have a nasty lump of chewed gum under it, or is there an unlucky cleaning crew at every arena that’s had to pry it off?  Now that the secret’s out, the job of a stadium custodian just got a little dirtier.