Mike Tyson’s White Tiger Almost Chased NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal

Shaquille O'Neal had an otherworldly experience when he visited Mike Tyson's house for the first time in his life.

Mike Tyson’s White Tiger Almost Chased NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal

Mike Tyson and Shaquille O'Neal (via The Sun and Imagn)

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Mike Tyson’s wild side has always been part of his legend. While he’s celebrated as the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history, his life outside the ring is just as unforgettable, especially the time he owned a fully-grown white tiger. Recently, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal recalled his first encounter with ‘Iron Mike,’ and as expected, it came with a wild twist involving the fearsome feline. 

The two legends recently sat down for a conversation on The Big Podcast with Shaq, where they reminisced about the first time they met in person. For those unfamiliar, Mike Tyson served time in the early 1990s, and that’s when O’Neal, with the help of his friend Fresh West (now a New York Knicks executive), visited Tyson in prison.

Their first meeting took place behind bars, but it left a lasting impact. Tyson shared a “lot of gems” of wisdom, and the two quickly formed a connection. After Mike Tyson was released, he reached out to Shaq, offering him tickets to his first fight after the sentence and even invited him over to his home. That’s when things took a wild turn.

That was the first time, but this is the real first time. Before his fight, he says, ‘Hey, come to the house.’ So, we come to his house, ring the bell. Dingdong. I hear a ‘Come in!’ So, I open the door, right? There’s nobody in the lobby. So, I’m, you know, I want to make myself at home. I start walking, and a f***ing tiger comes running down the stairs.

Shaquille O’Neal via The Big Podcast with Shaq

Imagine being alone in a house when a 500-pound carnivorous beast starts charging. That’s exactly what Lakers legend experienced during his visit to Tyson’s home. With no one else around, Shaq did what anyone would: he turned and tried to run. Thankfully, Tyson stepped in just in time, pacifying the massive white tiger and saving the day. 

So I turn around and I’m trying to get to the thing, and then Mike comes and he starts wrestling the tiger. I told my boy, I said, ‘I’m not a gambler, but I wish I had a million dollars to put in the fight. I just saw this man stop a full-grown f***ing tiger. He’s about to kill this dude.

Shaquille O’Neal via The Big Podcast with Shaq

Things got even crazier when Tyson revealed that he slept beside his white tiger for two whole years. ‘Iron Mike’ shared that he had to be with the animal constantly, to the point where he even bought an 18-wheeler just to bring the tiger along whenever he traveled to another city. This left Shaq without words and rightfully so. 

What was Dana White’s role in Mike Tyson’s appearance on Shark Week?

Most recently, Mike Tyson returned to the boxing ring in a much-hyped but underwhelming bout against Jake Paul at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The 58-year-old legend faced criticism for stepping in against a 27-year-old fighter in his prime. Still, the event was a financial hit, streaming live on Netflix and bringing in a massive paycheck for Tyson, something he chose to do on his own terms.

Mike Tyson and Dana White
Mike Tyson and Dana White (via MARCA)

But this wasn’t the first time Tyson took on a wild challenge. During an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Tyson shared a story about how UFC CEO Dana White once set him up with a unique gig, competing on the reality TV phenomenon Shark Week.

I love Dana White, Dana White’s my man. I don’t care, I can’t say nothing bad about him. He said ‘Mike, I don’t want you to fight. Lemme get you a job making some money.’ He gets me the goddamn Shark Week job. He gets me the job, I gotta put the shark to sleep now. He doesn’t want me to fight and get knocked out and beat up, but he wants me to go in there and put a shark to sleep.

Mike Tyson via The Joe Rogan Experience

Shark Week has long been a ratings juggernaut for Discovery, and in 2020, they took things up a notch by bringing in Tyson for a special called Tyson vs. Jaws. In the wild crossover event, Tyson went three rounds with sharks.

Round one saw him dive into the water inside a protective cage, surrounded by lemon sharks. In round two, he ditched the cage and swam freely with sharks in open water. Then came the jaw-dropping finale: in round three, Tyson actually grabbed a shark, rubbed its nose, and flipped it upside down, inducing tonic immobility, a harmless state that temporarily stuns the animal.

In a recent reveal, the UFC boss revealed that he actually tried to buy all of Tyson’s heavyweight belts, but to no avail, as ‘Iron Mike’ found them useless. It is safe to say that White and Tyson’s relationship is extremely deep, and so is Tyson’s life and adventures.

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