Truth & Rumors > NBA

Promo_BaseballChallenge_638x30

Shaq uncovers Internet impostor

Views
11640
Comments
23

Shaquille O'Neal had a problem. An Internet impostor using his name was sending messages to unsuspecting Shaq fans. So O'Neal did what any sensible, 7-foot-1, muscle-bound mammoth would do. He started tweeting. The faux Shaq account was discovered last week by Sports Media Challenge, a consulting firm that works with O'Neal. Kathleen Hessert, the firm's owner, was initially thrilled. She had been pushing O'Neal to Twitter with fans. She found the oddball references to the Pythagorean theorem and the Big Cactus to be very Shaq-like. "It was a very good impersonation," Hessert said. A closer inspection revealed the forgery. The ersatz O'Neal, for example, claimed to be sending tweets from the bench during a game -- a virtual impossibility. That was the point, said the man who created the account. Ward Andrews, the 33-year-old Suns fan behind ShaquilleONeal, said he included the occasional outlandish claim as a tip-off. "All the longtime followers, over 500 followers, they know it's a joke," said Andrews, who owns a Phoenix design and marketing agency. "I really didn't have any intent to pull people's leg. It was just to entertain."

New York Times

Shaquille O'Neal, AP Shaquille O'Neal, AP
November 20, 2008  05:58 AM ET

Wow really. Thats truly amazing. His wife is a babe.

November 20, 2008  08:04 AM ET

**** is "tweeting"

November 20, 2008  08:30 AM ET

This story is freakin confusing. Who is the impostor in this story? It seems like it's all of them including Shaq.

Freakin useless story.

November 20, 2008  08:58 AM ET

Nothing much to comment on here.

November 20, 2008  10:03 AM ET
QUOTE(#4):

Nothing much to comment on here.

Good comment Jova!

November 20, 2008  10:04 AM ET

Sorry...HOVA

November 20, 2008  10:05 AM ET
QUOTE(#6):

Sorry...HOVA

No problem man.

November 20, 2008  10:43 AM ET

glad his deputy training paid off

November 20, 2008  10:46 AM ET

Guess the Shaqtus ruthless comments have caught up with him huh.

November 20, 2008  10:51 AM ET
QUOTE(#2):

**** is "tweeting"

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service, that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

In other words, it's texting to a bunch of people at the same time and talking back and forth to them.

Obviously, the guy said nothing damaging while pretending to be Shaq.

November 20, 2008  11:59 AM ET

Kobe, tell me how my twitter tastes...

November 20, 2008  12:07 PM ET

some one impersanating shaq, that could be fun.

Kobe tell me how the glass taste, cause i cant rebound no more.

November 20, 2008  12:07 PM ET

Whats Tweeting?

November 20, 2008  12:07 PM ET

is it a sick reference to Tweety Bird

November 20, 2008  12:08 PM ET

wheres Sylvester Cat when you need him, and granny to save the yellow bird.

November 20, 2008  12:46 PM ET

I don't like twitter. I don't want to hear that your eating spaghetti or enjoying your oatmeal this morning. Or that you want to spout off for no reason. I get enough crappy spam thrown my direction as it is.

November 20, 2008  01:08 PM ET

Great job!! Next, I hope someone can expose the Shaq impostor playing for the Suns.

November 20, 2008  01:18 PM ET
QUOTE(#17):

Great job!! Next, I hope someone can expose the Shaq impostor playing for the Suns.

Great one PileOfCrap. LOL

November 20, 2008  01:20 PM ET
QUOTE(#8):

glad his deputy training paid off

deputy training? he hired a consulting firm to bust this guy. i wonder if that's how he caught those internet predators, too.

 
November 20, 2008  05:42 PM ET
QUOTE(#11):

Kobe, tell me how my twitter tastes...

lol

Comment

Remember to keep your posts clean. Profanity will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed.


The Si.com Cover Hub Go to the Cover Hub

Stub Hub

The 2009 schedule has been released. Search for tickets!

Truth & Rumors

MOST POPULAR

  1. 1
    Williams: 'I'm not a T.O.'
    Views
    15723
    Comments
    2305
  2. 2
    Yankees to pass on free agents?
    Views
    55237
    Comments
    1660
  3. 3
    Meeting with fans backfires on Browns owner
    Views
    14862
    Comments
    844
  4. 4
    LeBron hasn't ruled out Knicks
    Views
    23019
    Comments
    304
  5. 5
    Canseco wants to fight A-Rod
    Views
    26368
    Comments
    180

Most Active Users

Comments + Blog Posts + Throwdowns

  1. 1
    Porkins: F U to Hell, BCS
  2. 2
    RobertMenn: You stole my rake
  3. 3
    Perfectpats
  4. 4
    sign here
  5. 5
    Oso: Yankees win again?

Message Boards

  1. NFL > Pittsburgh Steelers

    STEELERS VS BRONCOS…
    Views
    473
    Replies
    81
  2. NCAAF > General NCAAF

    CFB Game Day 11/7/2009
    Views
    216
    Replies
    86
  3. MMA > General MMA

    What happens if Fedor loses?
    Views
    186
    Replies
    63

Blogs