HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Shaquille O’Neal has scored again.
The NBA veteran is returning to ABC for a new reality show titled “Shaq Vs.,” the network revealed Monday.
In the series, O’Neal will leave the basketball court as he challenges top athletes in a different sport each week.
Among the stars waiting to take on Shaq in their respective sport will be: Olympic swimming champ Michael Phelps; football star Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers; tennis champion Serena Williams; baseball star Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinal; boxing champ Oscar de la Hoya; and beach volleyball Olympic gold medalists Kerri Walsh and Misty May-Treanor.
To level the playing field, O’Neal will negotiate a handicap with his opponent and train with a coach for one week leading up to each challenge.
“These athletes may be on top of their game, but I am up for the challenge,” said O’Neal. “I plan to train hard and win, so look out.”
“Shaq is the only one with the athletic skills and personality to carry this unique project,” said John Saade and Vicki Dummer, co-heads of Alternative Series, Specials and Late-Night, ABC Entertainment Group. “It’s Shaq versus the best athletes in the world, competitors who aren’t afraid of the challenge… or Shaq’s humor.”
The one-hour series will premiere on Aug. 18.
O’Neal and ABC also teamed up two years ago for the weight-loss show “Shaq’s Big Challenge.”
Last month, O’Neal was traded from the Phoenix Suns to the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he’ll team up with superstar LeBron James.
