You Can Relax Folks, Shaq Was Kidding When He Said The Earth Is Flat

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Published

March 25, 2017

Everyone loves a good conspiracy theory, but a month or so ago, the internet flipped its shit a little bit when Cleveland Cavs All-Star Kyrie Irving started telling journalists that the earth is flat.

in response to this, Shaquille O’Neal came out with similar claims, telling listeners to this week’s edition of The Big Podcast With Shaq “it’s true – the Earth is flat”, before launching into a deeply scientific explanation, saying:

In school, first thing they teach us is, ‘Oh, Columbus discovered America,’ but when he got there, there were some fair-skinned people with the long hair smoking out of peace pipes. So, what does that tell you? Columbus didn’t discover America. So, listen, I drive from coast to coast, and this shit is flat to me. I’m just saying.

I drive from Florida to California all the time, and it’s flat to me. I do not go up and down at a 360-degree angle, and all that stuff about gravity. Have you looked outside Atlanta lately and seen all these buildings? You mean to tell me that China is under us? China is under us? It’s not. The world is flat.

While his statement had more than a whiff of a stitch-up about it, enough people took him seriously that the story went viral as hell, as the relevant clip was widely shared as people pondered whether Shaq had lot his mind.

Kyrie Irving’s position is still not entirely clear, but after his clip blew up, a bemused Shaq has had to come forward and clarify the fact that he was, indeed taking the piss.

Speaking to The Art Of Charm podast host Jordan Harbinger, he said:

I’m joking, you idiots … When I want you to take me seriously, you will know by the tone of my voice that I’m being serious. [When] Shaquille O’Neal says something, 80 percent of the time I’m being humorous, and it is a joke. And 20 percent of the time, I’m being serious, but when I’m being serious, you’ll know. You want to see me, seriously? See me and Charles Barkley going back and forth on TNT. That’s when I’m mad and when I’m serious. Other than that, you’re not going to get that out of me, so I was just joking people. The Earth is not round, it’s flat. I mean, the Earth is not flat, it’s round.

He further clarified his remarks to Jimmy Kimmel, but basically, we ca all rest easy, folks because Shaq knows the world is flat … I mean, round … I mean … I dunno, just watch: