After watching Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson go viral for shooting hoops on a superyacht, fellow Lakers icon Shaquille O’Neal attempted to track him down. However, his lighthearted summer venture didn’t go as planned.
Along the way, the four-time NBA champion issued a comical challenge to Johnson, playfully alluding to their massive net worths.
Shaquille O’Neal Challenges Magic Johnson to Unorthodox 1-on-1 Matchup
On Monday, Johnson offered fans a glimpse of his latest summer getaway off the coast of Barcelona, Spain, the city where he famously captured Olympic gold in 1992.
The 65-year-old posted a clip on Instagram of himself hooping on the deck of the $140 million PHOENIX2 luxury superyacht, proving that he’s still got it. Johnson could be seen knocking down a series of jumpers as he soaked in the Mediterranean sun.
“It was nice to be back in Barcelona, Spain where I won my gold medal with the Dream Team! I’m back shooting hoops, not in an arena this time, but on a yacht!” Johnson captioned his post.
Upon viewing Johnson’s post, O’Neal, who also traveled to Barcelona as part of his DJ Diesel Europe tour, used his downtime to try to locate his longtime friend and mentor. On Wednesday, the big man posted a lengthy Instagram video that began with him eating a green apple as he asked his 35.2 million followers to help him track down the Hall of Famer.
O’Neal also flexed his $500 million net worth, proposing an unconventional one-on-one showdown pitting his and Johnson’s opulent travel methods against one another.
“I’m in Barcelona. I’m looking for Magic Johnson,” O’Neal began. “Hey, Magic, I saw you playing basketball on your yacht. I’ve been waiting to do it for a long time, Magic. One-on-one. Your yacht versus my plane. Matter of fact, I’m about to come look for you. It’s on, Magic.”
After being unable to contact Johnson, O’Neal took his search efforts a step further, hitting the streets of Barcelona to look for landmarks featured in his yachting video.
“I called him, but he didn’t answer,” O’Neal continued. “Now it’s time for Detective O’Neal to dissect the clues. He’s on a big yacht somewhere by a marina. I saw a Ferris wheel, I saw an orange road, I saw some buildings. Now it’s time to look.”
The 15-time All-Star then roamed around and asked several Barcelonans if they had seen Johnson, to no avail.
“I can’t believe you eluded me [for] two days, Magic,” O’Neal quipped.
However, O’Neal’s humorous manhunt wasn’t entirely futile, as he befriended an apparent security guard.
“Well, I’m in Barcelona, and I did not find Magic Johnson, but I found a new best friend. Say hello to Julio,” O’Neal concluded as he laughed and grinned before signing off.
While O’Neal didn’t link up with Johnson, in typical fashion, the larger-than-life entertainer provided fans with another memorable offseason moment amid his travels.