“Mira, Shaq!” yelled a woman at the Doral Walmart. She was running at full speed with a basketball under one arm and held her phone camera out with the other.
Former Miami Heat star Shaquille O’Neal attracts a crowd wherever he goes and the launch of his new Shaq-a-licious gummy snacks at the Walmart near the 87th Avenue exit off the Dolphin Expressway Monday afternoon was no different.
Nearly 100 fans, some wearing Heat jerseys, some sporting Reebok Shaq sneakers, excitedly took videos and photos of the NBA legend who helped the Heat win its first NBA title in 2006 as he handed out samples of his new snacks. The snacks are available in six varieties including wild berry, which O’Neal called his favorite flavor.
“Growing up in Germany, gummy bears were always some of my favorites,” O’Neal told the Herald. “Hershey’s approached me and it took months of coming up with the characters and flavors. We went to the Hershey factory in Pennsylvania and it’s something fun. I’m the ambassador of fun.”