Basketball icon Shaquille O'Neal has issued a sharp and public denial to quash swirling rumours that he is romantically involved with 21-year-old model Sophie Rain. The speculation ignited last month after Rain posted a picture of herself with the 53-year-old Hall of Famer, taken during her birthday celebrations in Las Vegas.
The Viral Photo That Sparked Speculation
The controversy began when Sophie Rain shared a snapshot on social media from her 21st birthday outing. The photo showed her sitting on the knee of the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar, who was grinning broadly. Rain, holding a drink and wearing a see-through outfit, captioned the image "Look who I met." The image quickly went viral, with internet users immediately beginning to speculate about a potential romance between the two, despite their 32-year age gap.
Influencer Noah Glenn Carter amplified the rumours by posting a video discussing the alleged relationship. Carter pointed out the age difference, calling it "a little awkward, especially when he's a 53-year-old showing up to a 21-year-old's birthday." This commentary added fuel to the online fire, pushing the story further into the public eye.
Shaq's Blunt and Humorous Denial
Shaquille O'Neal did not take long to respond. The NBA legend directly addressed Carter in the comments section of his video to set the record straight. O'Neal firmly denied dating anyone as young as Rain and explained the context of the photo.
"I was DJing at Encore Beach Club. She came to my party, dummy stop tryna create rumors," O'Neal wrote. He then added a characteristically humorous yet pointed threat: "don't make me slap you dude." In a follow-up comment, O'Neal further distanced himself from the rumours with a classic Shaq-style joke: "I don’t [date] that young but I will date your mom and give you a brother." He also told Carter to relay a message to his mother: "Your mom is hot, tell her to hit me on my sky, tell the pager."
Faced with the prospect of a confrontation with the 7-foot-1 athlete, Carter swiftly apologized. "Now Shaq, I really don't want you to slap me because you would obliterate me… I'm not even gonna try and pretend like you wouldn't. I apologize to Shaq. I don't want that smoke…" he replied.
Not the First Time: A History of Denials
This is not the first instance where Shaquille O'Neal has had to publicly deny false rumours about his personal life. Just a year ago, he was forced to clarify his involvement in another viral photo. A post by Maria Ozuna Teachey featured an image of her embracing a man whose build resembled O'Neal's, leading followers to assume it was him.
O'Neal took to Instagram to debunk those claims as well. "Nope, not the kid," he stated plainly. He assured his fans, "Trust me I’ll let yall know who my woman is, and by the way my woman name is Shaqrah." This pattern indicates the retired superstar's willingness to directly confront and correct misleading narratives about his relationships.
In both cases, the women at the centre of the rumours—Sophie Rain and Maria Ozuna Teachey—were not in a relationship with O'Neal. The latest incident underscores how quickly images and moments from social events can be misinterpreted and spiral into widespread, but unfounded, celebrity gossip.
