NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and sports/entertainment journalist Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. Photo Credit: Eric Salvary/ Get Fit Radio TV

Lucille O’Neal, mother of Shaq checks in with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on Scoop B Radio. Press Play Below To Listen!

NBA Hall of Famer and TNT commentator Shaquille O’Neal – also known as “Shaq” – recently announced on TNT Inside the NBA broadcast that he has been given a new title, joining Carnival Cruise Line as their newly appointed “CFO.”

The announcement was made with a tongue-in-cheek video that features Shaq and Carnival President Christine Duffy but omits one minor detail: CFO stands for “Chief Fun Officer,” personifying the cruise line’s newest brand campaign, “Choose Fun,” which launched last week.

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal is Carnival Cruise Line’s New Chief Fun Officer. Photo Credit: Carnival Cruise LineAs the newly appointed “CFO,” O’Neal has partnered with the cruise line, lending his fun, larger-than-life personality and playful spirit to inspire America to Choose Fun with Carnival when planning their next vacation, and in their everyday lives.

Shaq’s role will be brought to life via engaging video content social media and experiential activations, beginning today.

In the first piece of advertising that introduces Shaq as Carnival’s Chief Fun Officer, he takes viewers on a whirlwind 30-second tour of Carnival Vista, showing his playful self as he enjoys the ship’s many attractions and experiences, including SkyRide, Havana pool, Cloud 9 Spa, a burger at Guy Fieri’s Burger Joint and, of course, the basketball court.

“We are very excited to have Shaq as part of the Carnival team! He will serve as a great partner ensuring everyone knows all about our one-of-a-kind brand of fun,” said Duffy.  “We’re confident that his embodiment of our brand values will inspire America to Choose Fun and discover the authentic, participatory and social atmosphere that Carnival offers.”

“In today’s world, it’s more important than ever to choose fun, especially when everyone is busy with work, family, and life in general,” says O’Neal.

“So, I’m honored to be appointed the Chief Fun Officer at Carnival – a company that lives and breathes fun.”

Carnival Cruise Line is the largest brand in the Carnival Corporation portfolio with a fleet of 25 ships designed to deliver fun and memorable vacation experiences at a great value. It is the world’s most popular cruise line carrying five million guests a year and catering to a wide consumer demographic, appealing to families, couples, singles and seniors. Carnival carries more children and military personnel than any other cruise line. In spring 2018, the 133,500-ton Carnival Horizon will debut as the 26th ship in the fleet.

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The post Scoop B: TNT Inside The NBA’s Shaquille O’Neal named Carnival Cruise Line’s New ‘Chief Fun Officer’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal. Photo Credit: Sports Unbiased

Spending a day with NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal can do all sorts of good for boosting a person’s self-confidence.

Derek Davis knows all about it. After spending years making music as a hobby, Davis was discovered by a talent scout for Shaq’s local indie record label, Deja 34 Records. He was asked to come to Chicago to perform for Shaq, and ended up spitting a couple of his songs for one of the premier personalities in the recording industry. And then, as if that weren’t enough, Shaq invited him to spend the day with him and join him at an NFL game.

The experience left an indelible mark on Davis, and he hasn’t looked back since. He adopted the stage name Ze Forte’ – a shortened version of his middle name, Alize’, and a word that symbolizes his own unique style and flow. And earlier this year Ze Forte’ released his debut album entitled “Upon My Arrival.” He describes it as a “much-needed return to what hip-hop is all about.”

“Ze Forte’ is the one to watch out for,” said Parrish Johnson, industry veteran and CEO of Indie1st. “He has the talent and drive to be the next Jay Z or Eminem.”

“When I got signed to Shaq’s label, that’s when I knew I actually had something,” he said of his big break. “Before that I had seen that I had something, but I wasn’t working as hard at it. When I saw somebody see me who told me I could do it, I knew it was serious now and that I had to buckle down. I’m playing with the big dogs now … literally.”

Ze Forte. Photo Credit: Instagram

“Upon My Arrival” is an album that Ze Forte’ said describes where he came from as an artist while also announcing to the world his plans for what’s still to come. He created the artwork for the cover of the album himself – a picture of him standing in front of a collage of well-known rappers from the past – as a way to signify that he knows what it took for all of them to get to where they were successful, and now it’s his time to shine.

That hard work starts every morning, as soon as he wakes up. He has a daily regimen that begins with turning the music up loud and throwing on some beats as soon as he gets up. He gets started right away, so that when he eventually gets to the studio he already has the first verse locked in his head.

“I try to make music that reflects my struggles and dreams,” he said. “It’s edgy, because I’m a bit edgy. But if you love hip-hop – the clever lyrics and hard-hitting beats – then you will definitely enjoy the album. The music is powerful, smooth, memorable and irresistible. It’s a perfect reflection of me.”

Ze Forte’ said he’s riding the momentum and success of his first album into the creation of a new mixtape that he’s calling “Flu Gang 2.” It’s set to come out before the end of August, and he’s excited to share it with the world as he continues going on radio tours from state to state to promote his first album.

To listen to Ze Forte’s music, or to follow him on social media, please visit the following links:

https://www.instagram.com/_zeforte/

https://twitter.com/_ZeForte

https://www.facebook.com/alize.davis

https://soundcloud.com/zeforte

https://soundcloud.com/zeforte/suicide

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The post Scoop B Selects: ’Ze Forte’ drops ‘Upon My Arrival’ & pays respect to Shaquille O’Neal appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

While the basketball world reacted to Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith’s belief that the ’94 Houston Rockets would defeat the Bulls (H/T Dime/Uproxx’s Oliver Maroney) had Michael Jordan not retired and Scottie Pippen’s response to it, there was something lost in the traslation: The Jet admired the 90’s Orlando Magic. 

That Magic team was special: Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, Nick Anderson, Dennis Scott were young, tough and one of the Eastern Conference’s biggest threats not named the New York Knicks and Chicago Bulls.

Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith thinks so too! Smith, who suited up against the Orlando Magic in the 1995 Finals as a member of the Rockets saw potential in that young team.

“You know, anytime you have a guard and a big man it’s the perfect balance,”  he told me on Scoop B Radio.

“They had the perfect balance and you had Penny who was so versatile that he could play inside, outside,” said Smith.  “And you had Shaq with everything that he’s done and being so young. That was the dynasty missed; dynasty missed by the Orlando Magic, for sure.”

After a brief run with the Magic, Shaq realized his worth and signed a mega contract via free agency with the Los Angeles Lakers. He was the center of the future and he, Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson would rule the NBA and the Western Conference in the early 2000s.

Check out the interview with Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith and Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson below (the chat about the Orlando Magic begins at the 5:22 mark). 

O’Neal ended up with the better career, winning multiple rings with the Lakers and then with the Miami Heat. Hardaway wasn’t as lucky. After O’Neal’s departure, he’d be the team’s lone star, but struggled with a devastating injury that cut short his promising career. After his time with the Magic, he’d bounce around the league playing for the Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks and Miami Heat before retiring in 2007.

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Horace Grant rocking his goggles. Photo Credit: Bleacher Report

If you’re a follower of the NBA in the 90s or even played NBA Jam in the arcade, you’ll surely remember former Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic power forward Horace Grant and his goggles.

They were color coordinated too! They were blue and white during his Magic days playing with Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal. They were also white and red when he won three championship with the Bulls playing with Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan.

But check this out: he didn’t wear them for style!

Horace where the heck did you get those Rec Specs from? “Man, from the moon, from the stars,” Horace Grant joked on Scoop B Radio Overtime. “They came down and right in front of my locker. It said: ‘Horace Grant wear these and you’ll be unique.’ So from out of space that’s where I tell people I got them from, from outer space.

All joking aside: during his playing career, Grante was diagnosed as legally blind during his playing career. As a result, Grant rocked his goggles on court per the advice from the Chicago Bulls’ training staff.

Here’s the full account of Horace Grant’s goggle decision:

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Horace where the hell did you get the Rec Specs from? I always wanted to ask you this. When I played NBA Jam the arcade version I’m like: ‘Where the hell did he get these colored Rec Specs?

Horace Grant: Man, from the moon, from the stars, they came down and right in front of my locker it said Horace Grant wear these and you’ll be unique so from out of space that’s where I tell people I got them from, from outer space.

Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson: Did you wear them in college or is that something you strictly did when you came to the NBA?

Horace Grant: Never wore them in college. It was strictly NBA. To be honest, I was legally blind, didn’t know it, and my eye doctors from the Bulls said: ‘You know Horace try these goggles.’ And from that point on, that particular night the goggles became famous. 

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Shaquille O’Neal was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday.

His career has been a journey: the Orlando Magic years with Penny Hardaway, the dynasty with Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson with the Los Angeles Lakers and his bond in South Beach with Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat.

O’Neal cemented a legacy.

It takes a village to raise a child and an even bigger village to help maintain an athlete’s success once they have arrived. A lot of credit should go to O’Neal’s late step-father Philip A. Harrison and his mother Lucille O’Neal for keeping structure around Shaq every step of the way.

Check out Momma O’Neal’s Chat With Scoop B on Scoop B Radio

After three years as a student athlete at LSU, Shaq declared for the 1992 NBA Draft. Selected first overall by the Orlando Magic, although NBA-ready, Shaq promised his parents and college coach, Dale Brown, that he would finish his education. He kept his word.

In 2000, while a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal made good on that promise by graduating from LSU. “We had a deal, you do this now and go back to school later,” his mother Lucille O’Neal, told me recently on an episode of Scoop B Radio. “He needed to finish his college education; however, when the opportunity presented itself for him to go into the NBA, we didn’t want him to miss an opportunity when it was presented to him.”

Shaq’s path to his undergraduate degree included online classes and correspondence with professors through both mail and email. He continued his education by earning his PH.D from Barry University with his doctoral capstone topic being The Duality of Humor and Aggression in Leadership Styles.

Checked Out Shaq’s Hall of Fame Induction Speech

But Diesel didn’t stop there and turned his attention to his mother, helping her fulfill her dream of graduating from college as she had pushed him to achieve his. So in 2003, Momma O’Neal, with the help of her son, earned her BA in Business Admin from Bethune-Cookman. And like her son, she furthered her education in 2005 by earning her MA in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix.

“It took 30 years, but I never lost thirst for learning,” she said. “I promised him that I wouldn’t waste his money and he said that as long as I got good grades, he would continue to pay my tuition.”

The bond between Mother and Son in the O’Neal household extends beyond blood and demonstrates that education can be obtained no matter the age or life situation.

Check out the Scoop with Brandon Robinson CBS recap here.

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The post Scoop B Radio: Shaquille O’Neal’s Mom, Lucille O’Neal Talks Hall of Fame & Education appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

One of basketballs all time greats has finally called it quits after 20 years in the NBA. Kobe Bryant, has officially retired from the NBA but it’s no surprise that Kobe is expected to still be position with the game of basketball. One of the rumors swirling around Bryant after his retirement, was the possibility of becoming the 5th member of the very popular, Inside The NBA show, featured on TNT.

If Bryant was to join the show, he would be joining NBA legends, Charles Barkely, Kenny Smith, and his former teammate, Shaquille O’neal. Also part of the cast is longtime cast member Ernie Johnson. Now when Shaq departed from the Lakers, he and Kobe were not on best of terms. Throughout the rest of Shaq’s career he and Kobe never ended their feud. Over the past few years Shaq and Kobe have seemed to not have any hard feelings toward each other, making the thought of the two teaming back up on the set of the show, seem even more realistic.

A few weeks into his retirement and it seems that TNT has reached out to Bryant about taking the position, according to TMZ Sports. With and offer on the table all Bryant would need to do is accept it, and we would get a Shaq and Kobe duo once again. BUT it looks like the duo is not making a return. It has been reported that Kobe will not go work on Inside The NBA with his former teammate.

In the above clip you can see Bryant, who when asked if he would go work for TNT, turns and simply answers no. It looks like he’s enjoying the retired life right now. It is unclear if Bryant will make an appearance on the show during this postseason, but it would be fun to get a preview to see the chemistry he would have with the guys. For now, continue to watch Charles and Shaq battle it out hilariously on set.

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Shaquille O’Neal stays busy these days by doing hoops analysis for TNT, but he had time to drop by Sway in the Morning.  The “Big Aristotle” fell though and talked to Sway and Devi Dev about his rap career.

Shaq discussed how he and Biggie worked together on “Can’t Stop the Reign” and how he had to have Biggie drop a second “PG-13” rated verse for the track.  This obviously was no problem for the legend; he did both verses off the top.

Sway tries to get the big man to give him 16 after Shaq goes along with “Forgot About Dre (Sway),” but apparently he “doesn’t do that anymore.”  Apparently “Momma Shaq” didn’t really approve of his last verse…

Check the interview below.

The post Video: Shaq Talks Rapping with Biggie, Jay-Z, Nas, and Big Pun on Sway in the Morning appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.