‘Shaq Hyman’: Oilers forward gifts O’Neal a signed jersey

Shaquille O'Neal, speak during a pre-game press conference about the Orlando Magic retiring his jersey before the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. (Kevin Kolczynski/AP)

The latest episode of the Shaquille O’Neal-Zach Hyman series just dropped.

After a number of appearances on NHL on TNT which included him coming into the studio on “skates,” the budding relationship between the two athletes had another nice moment on Wednesday.

O’Neal was gifted a signed Hyman jersey and stick during an episode of Inside the NBA on TNT on Wednesday after the show aired a side-by-side compilation of the duo’s similar styles of play.

“Zach I love you brother,” O’Neal said while holding up the jersey.

The “Shaq Hyman” nickname came about after Sheldon Keefe compared the now-Oilers forward to the NBA Hall of Famer.

“When I was with the Marlies, we called him Shaq Hyman, because he got to the paint better than anybody,” current Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe said recently.

The gift clearly sent some good karma Hyman’s way, as he scored twice Wednesday in Game 1 of the Oilers’ second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks.

At this point, it wouldn’t be a shock to see O’Neal show up in Edmonton to support his new favourite hockey player.

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