Shaquille O'Neal Ate Frog Legs After Losing Bet on TCU: 'I'm a Man of My Word'

Rebecca Aizin

January 13, 2023 at 1:47 p.m.·2 min read

Shaquille O'Neal Eats Frog Legs After TCU Loss

TNT

When it comes to being "a man of [his] word," you can bet on Shaquille O'Neal.

The four-time NBA champion, 50, made a bet with fellow Inside the NBA panelist Ernie Johnson ahead of Monday's College Football Playoff National Championship game that Texas Christian University would beat the University of Georgia, Johnson's alma mater. The wager? That O'Neal would "eat some frogs" if he lost.

TCU, whose mascots are the Horned Frogs, were defeated 65-7, marking the Georgia Bulldogs' second consecutive College Football Playoff championship. That meant O'Neal was due to eat his words, literally.

On Thursday's TNT coverage of the NBA games, the time had come for O'Neal to face his fate. Johnson, donning a Georgia helmet, came in with a prepared dish of frog legs accompanied by some "frog leg sauce."

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) carries the ball for a touchdown during CFP National Championship game between the Georgia Bulldogs and the TCU Horned Frogs

Charles Baus/CSM/Shutterstock

O'Neal didn't hesitate and dug in, munching calmly as his co-anchors expressed their disgust.

"Now y'all understand why I'm vegetarian," panelist Kenny Smith said. "That looks like a real frog. They could have cut it differently so it doesn't look like the actual animal!"

"I'm a man of my word," O'Neal replied, as he dipped the legs in the sauce.

O'Neal looked up and smiled at the camera with a mouth full of frog legs. "I just wanna let y'all know, these frog legs good," he declared. "These are the best frog legs I've done had ever."

He finished the meal and with an emphatic plop of the dish cover back on the plate, O'Neal addressed his colleagues. "You didn't think I was gonna do it, did you?"

Shaquille O'Neal attends HBO Premiere For Four-Part Documentary "SHAQ" at Illuminarium on November 14, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia.(Photo by Prince Williams/Wireimage)

Prince Williams/Wireimage

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

We imagine O'Neal is just grateful he didn't make a mascot-based bet on UC Santa Cruz (the Banana Slugs) or Alabama (Big Al the Elephant).

HuffPost
New Poll Finds 1 Democrat Absolutely Trouncing Trump
Just one problem: This person doesn't seem interested in running, should the opportunity arise.
HuffPost
Conservative Commentator Says Trump’s Post-Debate Move Is ‘Freaking A Lot Of People Out’
Former Fox News pundit Jonah Goldberg had CNN’s Jake Tapper laughing with his response.
The Daily Beast
Obama Privately Goes Shaky After Offering to Prop Up Biden
Former President Barack Obama has reportedly told allies that Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance has made his bid to win back the White House even tougher than it had been previously.The Washington Post reports that Obama gave a harsher private assessment of Biden’s chances of re-election following the debate despite publicly trying to ease concerns by tweeting that “bad debates happen.”The outlet reported that Obama “spoke directly with Biden by phone after last Thursday’s debate to offe
People
Julianne Hough Opens Up About ‘Hate Comments’ on Her ‘Sizzling Sauna’ Instagram Reel: ‘Proud of My Body' (Exclusive)
Hough tells PEOPLE she laughed when the video of her stretching in the sauna caused a heated discussion in her Instagram comments
BuzzFeed
"Oomf" Is The Newest Gen Z Affectionate Slang That's Taking Over The Internet — Here's What It Actually Means
This word doesn’t mean what you think.
The Daily Beast
World’s Winningest Party Loses in Spectacular Style
LONDON—The Conservatives, the world’s winningest political party, were booted out of power in dramatic style on Thursday after 14 years of chaotic and divisive rule.The exit poll which dropped at 10 PM local time (5 PM EDT) showed that the Labour Party had secured a landslide victory ending an era of Conservative rule over Britain that stretches back to 2010, the year that the iPad and Instagram were launched and Lady Gaga wore that meat dress to the MTV music awards.In that time, the Conservati
BuzzFeed
"I Was Heartbroken But Said I Would Think About It": This Man's Wife Suddenly Wants To Have An Open Marriage To Sleep With Other People, And The Internet Has A Lot Of Thoughts On It
"She said she needs to explore that part of her..."
Hello!
King Charles and Queen Camilla's portrait with Prince William and Prince Edward sparks questions from royal fans
The King and Queen were pictured alongside the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Thistle Service in Edinburgh during Royal Week
Miami Herald
Florida Keys sailboat was a floating house of horrors for children, cops say
Florida Keys police opened their investigation after the FBI arrested him.
HuffPost
‘Pile Of Crap’: Trump Rails Against Biden, Harris In Unhinged Rant Caught On Video
The former president ripped into his rivals in newly leaked footage.
Cover Media
Stormy Daniels believes it's 'not fair' she owes Donald Trump $600,000
The adult film star, who accused the former President of giving her hush money to keep quiet about their alleged sexual encounter now owes Trump $600,000 (£470,000) in legal costs after a defamation case she brought against him was dismissed. Last month in New York, Trump was criminally convicted for defaming another sexual assault accuser, E.Jean Carroll. The 45-year-old said on the Daily Mail's podcast, Everything I Know About Me, "How is it fair that I have better, more compelling evidence than E. Jean Carroll? And I'm glad she won. They continue to hand her money like it's f**king candy.”
The Canadian Press
Irish prime minister 'appalled' by Canadian tourist's death after alleged assault
MONTREAL — Ireland's prime minister says he's "absolutely appalled" by an assault in the country's capital that resulted in the death of a tourist from Montreal. Simon Harris on Wednesday described Neno Dolmajian's death in Dublin as "reprehensible" and "horrific" and told parliament the death is now being investigated as a murder. "I'm absolutely appalled at the recent vicious attack in Dublin city centre which resulted in the death of a young man, Neno Dolmajian, and my thoughts are with his l
BuzzFeed
"Coffee Badging" Is The Newest Return-To-Office Trend That's Stirring Up Controversy — Here's What You Need To Know
If employees are expected to swipe into the office, chances are some people are doing this.
The Daily Beast
Trump Caught on Video Claiming ‘Broken-Down’ Biden Has Quit: ‘It’s Kamala’
Donald Trump delivered a brutal assessment of Joe Biden’s performance against him in last week’s presidential debate, calling the president a “broken-down pile of crap” teetering on the verge of “quitting the race” in a video provided by a source to The Daily Beast.“He just quit, you know—he’s quitting the race,” Trump says, sitting in a golf cart. “I got him out of the—and that means we have Kamala.”Later in the clip, he fawns over Chinese President Xi Jinping, calling him “a fierce man, very t
NY Daily News
Ivanka Trump breaks silence on father’s conviction in hush money case
NEW YORK — Ivanka Trump broke her weekslong silence regarding her father’s recent hush money criminal conviction during a podcast appearance released Tuesday. The former White House staffer said the experience has been agonizing. “On a human level, it’s my father and I love him very much, so it’s painful to experience, but ultimately, I wish it didn’t have to be this way,” she said on “The Lex ...
People
How Much Do Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Make? A Breakdown of Salaries Mentioned in “America's Sweethearts”
Netflix's docuseries 'America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' has sparked conversations about the salaries of NFL cheerleaders
HuffPost
James Carville Issues Blunt Plea To Democratic Donors About Ditching Joe Biden
The longtime Democratic strategist reportedly warned donors what he’d do if “we don’t do something about this.”
PA Media: UK News
‘Sex predator’ teacher facing jail
Rebecca Joynes, 30, had a baby with one of the two schoolboys she groomed.
Hello!
Prince Harry's cousin Lady Amelia Windsor is a festival babe in retro bikini and flares
Lady Amelia Windsor modelled a tiny bikini top with bold festival flares as she partied with friends at Glastonbury - see photos.
Cosmo
Bikinis, sheer 'fits and hotel robes: Alix Earle nails the Italy holiday wardrobe
We have been loving the Instagram outfit pictures of Alix Earle's bikinis, crochet dresses and hotel robes complete with a hair towel from her holiday to Italy.

Latest Stories