Standing a little over seven feet tall, Shaquille O'Neal was a nightmare for most defenses, breaking backboards and glasses with his sheer physical strength. The former Los Angeles Lakers center was a menace, especially when it came to the paint area. It was indeed rare for a guy his size to be that athletic and agile.
While he could intimidate almost anyone with his mere presence, there was one person who made the Big Diesel go weak in his knees. It's no secret that O'Neal has always had a massive crush on popular Hollywood actress Halle Berry, so much so that he often found it almost impossible to act normally if she was around.
One such classic case was bumping into her in an elevator, which left Shaq embarrassed.
"I remember one time I was in the elevator with Halle Berry, and my f—king stuttering kicked all the way back in," revealed Shaq, who was at Four Seasons in Dohini at the time.
"Crazy thing is, she was like, 'Oh, hello, Shaquille. I'm a big fan of yours,' recalled O'Neal, who was still relatively a kid back then in 1996.
O'Neal's attraction to Berry was not new, dating back to his college days at LSU, when he wrote her a letter that led to their becoming pen pals . One night in his dorm, O'Neal and his pals were watching Jungle Fever, which starred Halle, who left quite an impression on a young Shaquille.
"I thought she was so stunning, so I wrote her a letter. I was just kind of kidding around, telling her I was a big fan and I'd love to meet her sometime," shared the Diesel, who was made fun of for it as well by his teammates. That said, O'Neal ended up having the last laugh.
"A few weeks later, no lie, Halle Berry wrote me back. She sent me a signed picture that I still have hanging in my office. Turns out she's a basketball fan. She wrote, 'I'm a big fan of yours, too. I can't wait until you get to the NBA,'" added the legendary center, something he mentioned in his memoir " Shaq Uncut: My Story ", too.
As far as their elevator meeting was concerned, it wasn't the first time that O'Neal would act all shy in front of the award-winning actress. Facing the New York Knicks on the road during the 1999-00 season, Shaq was certainly in for a surprise when he spotted Halle attending the game . Oddly enough, he first spotted her walking down the aisle at a time when he was at the free-throw line.
Seeing her, a flustered O'Neal could not help but call for a timeout to gather himself back.
"I said, 'Halle Berry's at the game! Anybody shoots beside me, I'm punching you in your face. Halle Berry is here to watch me play the game. Give it to me.' And it was one of my best games I ever had," said the veteran center, who, every time that he caught the ball, made sure Halle was looking at her and as a result ended up dropping 43 points.
No matter how many times, it is heartwarming to see a shy O'Neal express his love for Berry, who had always praised the Diesel for his basketball abilities.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
