When Shaquille O’Neal bet he could eat world’s spiciest chip without ‘making a face'

Shaquille O'Neal's one-chip challenge on "Inside the NBA" turned into a spicy showdown with Charles Barkley, leaving Shaq victorious but in tears

Image Courtesy: Twitter

During a Facebook Live video session of TNT's Inside the NBA on a Thursday night, Shaquille O'Neal embraced the "one-chip challenge." He laid a $20 bet to his fellow Hall of Famer, Charles Barkley, that he wouldn't "make a face" while eating the incredibly hot tortilla chip. The consensus was unclear if a cough constituted making a face, but Shaq boldly proclaimed his victory.

The premise of the Pacqui One-Chip Challenge was to see who could withstand the heat of consuming Paqui's Carolina Reaper chip, labeled by the company as the world's hottest chip.

As part of the show, Shaq sampled the chip, exerting a tough exterior giving the impression that the chip wasn't much of a big deal.

"Omega Psi Phi till we die, do you all not know what fraternity I belong to?" Shaq declared while crunching on the chip. "This is no biggie for me."

Afterward, the former NBA champion began coughing, revealing a pained face and teary eyes. "It's indeed hot, any spare milk?" Shaq requested amid laughter from his "Inside the NBA" co-hosts. TNT responded by displaying a graphic of O'Neal in flames.

Shaq further proposed to make a $50,000 donation to Barkley's preferred charity if he took a bite of just one chip, yet Barkley declined the offer. Although Kenny Smith didn't eat one of the chips, he did touch one, and the mere dust on his fingers numbed his mouth and induced an on-air choking episode minutes later.

Shaq's Playful Idea: Video Game Streaming Career Amidst $100 Million Buzz

Shaquille O'Neal, known for his tactical business acumen which has led to his nearly $500 million in net worth, never misses an opportunity in savvy investments. That's why, when presented with the fact of a video-game streamer's $100 million contract, he instantly started considering that path.

During his recent guest on the "Squadcast" podcast, host Ben Gallagher informed the basketball legend about the top streamer xQC, real name Félix Lengyel, who inked a 2-year, $100 million contract with the streaming website, Kick.

Shaq, showing interest in this new venture, voiced his thoughts, "They're paying him $50 million for gaming? I might have to delve into it, xQc might be in trouble."

Canadian streamer xQC, now one of the world's most well-known, secured a contract with the Kick platform worth $70 million, with added incentives that could raise it to the $100 million mark. For reference, Shaq's biggest contract during his NBA career was a seven-year $120 million agreement with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996.

Rakesh Mehra is a passionate sports content writer at Pinkvilla, dedicated to bringing the thrill of the game to

...