Shaquille O’Neal’s success in sports has brought him in contact with several high-profile names. Yet the former basketball player was completely baffled when he spotted Halle Berry in an elevator. Despite coming face to face with uncountable big actresses like Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lopez, the NBA champion had the biggest smile in front of Berry.
Halle Berry is often considered one of the most good-looking women in Hollywood. Besides starring in some of the iconic movies, the actress also finished as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant. The Oscar-winning actress has such a beauty that left Shaquille O’Neal awestruck and completely speechless.
Shaquille O’Neal was mesmerized by Halle Berry’s beauty
It is not unnatural to have uncountable high-profile meetings when you are an NBA legend. Shaquille O’Neal has also met with people like Barack Obama in his nearly 2 decades-long career. But it looks like only Halle Berry with her extraordinary beauty and charm could leave an everlasting impact on him.
In an interview with GQ Sports, when the Blue Chips actor was asked who among the top celebrities made him feel unreal, O’Neal admitted that it was Halle Berry. He confessed that he met the Monster’s Ball actress in an elevator and was left stuttering.
“I met her in an elevator and I couldn’t talk because my stuttering kicked in.”
Some other personalities that he met included Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Hudson, and many others. In another interview with Kelly Clarkson, Shaquille O’Neal also shared how Halle Berry’s beauty once stunned him during an ongoing match.
What happened when Shaquille O’Neal spotted Halle Berry during a game?
During a conversation with Kelly Clarkson in The Kelly Clarkson Show, the 51-year-old four-time NBA champion shared an anecdote when Halle Berry came to watch his game. It was not new for him to often play before top celebrities. But when he used to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, a visit to his game by the Perfect Stranger actress took him off guard at the free-throw line.
“I’m at the free-throw line, and I’m looking at the stairs, and it’s Halle Berry; she’s walking down the stairs. My heart started fluttering, I get nervous. I call a time out.”
Even the coach Phil Jackson was surprised at this move but nothing mattered to O’Neal more than the fact that he was playing before Halle Berry.
“Coach said, ‘What are you doing?!’ I said, ‘Shut up, Halle Berry is here to watch me. Nobody shoots, make sure I get the ball.’ And guess what, I actually made the free throw. I made the free throw, I was looking at Halle like [winks].”
He also added that Halle Berry is the only woman who brings back his young habit of stuttering. However, he also made sure that nothing affected his performance and tried his best to ensure that the top-tier fans could leave the game with a cheerful face.
