Shaquille O'Neal demonstrated he can still dunk at the age of 54, recently performing a two-handed slam at a Dunkman event in Atlanta. The former NBA star also executed his signature leg-kick move, which he learned from Rony Seikaly.
Dunkman is a professional competition focused exclusively on dunking, founded by O'Neal. The event, filmed at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, offers a $500,000 grand prize to elite athletes. O'Neal, who works as an NBA analyst for TNT Sports, made an appearance on court to showcase his own dunking ability.
O'Neal's feat drew mixed reactions online. While some fans praised his physique and ability to still dunk at his age, others questioned the height of the rim or jokingly suggested he needed to work on his leg strength. Some viewers noted that O'Neal appeared to have lost weight.
Previously, O'Neal had expressed doubt about his ability to dunk again, telling Sports Illustrated in April that he would not be able to without significant training. He had been able to dunk since he was 17 and stood 6 feet 11 inches tall. O'Neal had long been embarrassed by his inability to dunk despite his height before he was able to do so in his teenage years.