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Here’s How Shaq — Yes, Shaq — Helped Create *NSYNC

Shaq, Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA
Mar 24, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA: Former Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal speaks during a NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Shaquille O’Neal is a man of many talents. Shaq is one of the most dominant centers in NBA history. The man can rap. He can act. He can dance. And he’s a hilariously entertaining analyst as part of TNT’s Inside the NBA crew.

Pretty much everyone is familiar with Shaq. But did you know he had a hand in creating *NSYNC?

You read that sentence correctly. Lance Bass told TMZ Sports how the Lakers great helped the boy band get on its feet in the early days.

“A lot of people don’t know, Shaquille had a big hand in starting our career,” Bass said. “We lived in Orlando and our first place that we recorded at was his house. All of our first demos and first songs were all from Shaq’s house. So yeah, he had a hand in creating us. Maybe that’s why it’s on Google.”

Here’s why Bass mentioned Google: a number of individuals noted earlier this week that if you searched *NSYNC members, Shaq’s name came up.

As of Tuesday afternoon, it appears Google has, sadly, removed the Big Diesel’s name from that list.

Shaquille O'Neal, Shaq, NSYNC

NBA Conference Finals Updates

Shaq’s TNT crew is covering the Western Conference Finals. The Golden State Warriors claimed a 2-1 advantage over the top-seeded Houston Rockets with a thunderous win in Game 3. The series continues with Game 4 at Oracle Arena Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST.

Over in the East, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have won two straight to even their series with the Boston Celtics at 2-2. Game 5 at TD Garden is slated for Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. EST. The Cavs will hope for 37-year-old forward Kyle Korver to continue his unexpected emergence.

Written by Aaron Mansfield

Aaron Mansfield is a freelance sports writer. His work has appeared in Complex, USA Today and the New York Times. Mansfield is a PhD candidate at UMass Amherst.

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