Shaquille O'Neal makes Florida return with opening of Tampa-area restaurant

Shaq is back.

Shaquille O'Neal, the National Basketball Association legend who spent parts of his playing career in Orlando and Miami, returns to Florida on June 16 with the grand opening up of one of his fast-food chicken restaurants in Westchase, the Tampa suburb.

This will be the first Florida restaurant for the Big Chicken chain. It is at 8725 W. Linebaugh Ave.

While it is not clear if the retired basketball player, serial entrepreneur, product pitchman, one-time sheriff’s deputy and broadcaster will be at the restaurant Monday, he will not be unrepresented. The first 34 guests in line will receive free food from Big Chicken for a year (limited to $10 per week). O’Neal wore No. 34 as a player for the Los Angeles Lakers.

According to a statement from the company, Big Chicken’s menu “fuses O'Neal’s home-cooked childhood favorites with today's trending flavors.” That includes crispy chicken sandwiches and tenders, macaroni and cheese and hand-crafted ice cream shakes.

Menu items include Uncle Jerome’s Nashville Hot sandwich and the Shaq Attack, a spicy chicken sandwich with chipotle BBQ, pepper jack cheese and jalapenno slaw.

And through June 30 at participating locations, the menu includes three sandwiches named in honor of his broadcasting partners on Inside the NBA — Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. (The show just finished up a 35-year run on TNT and is moving to ESPN next season.)

While today O’Neal is mostly known as a big, playful personality that seems to be on television every hour hawking everything from pizza to car insurance, he was a beast on the basketball court.

In his 19-year career O'Neal averaged 23.7 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. He won four NBA championships, was an NBA All Star 15 times, won three Finals MVP’s, won one league MVP and was Rookie of the Year in 1993 while playing for the Orlando Magic.

NBA.com named him the second greatest center to ever play the game.

Big Chicken opened its first location in Las Vegas in 2018. In addition to O’Neal, partners include JRS Hospitality, Authentic Brands Group and Craveworthy Brands.

The chain currently operates restaurants in 18 states as well as Manchester, England and on the Carnival Cruise Line.

The local restaurant is owned and operated by franchisees Sunny Movva and Sammath and Amulya Reddy.