Shaq at the Shaolin Temple

Though that might have made a great Wu-Tang album title, it is simply an explanation of what you're seeing in the delightfully surreal snapshot above, TwitPic'd by @THE_REAL_SHAQ himself. Along with that photo, he texted:

Ive been alotta place but being at the shaolin temple n china has brouhht a tear to my eye buddha blessed

Reverent salutations to you, Mr. O'Neal.

[#1 posted by jlborghead, July 21, 2009 6:03 PM]

He's just brushing up on his Shaq Fu

[#2 posted by W. James Au, July 21, 2009 6:57 PM]

"a great Wu-Tang album title"

Xeni, you're closer than you think: the RZA is actually close friends with a Shaolin kung fu master, and traveled with him to visit Shaolin temples, dig the (unfortunately small) photo:

http://slumz.boxden.com/f87/rza-travels-china-shaolin-article-493120/

Wu-Tang Intro: Bring Da Ruckus
It was September of 1999. Seven years after his defection to the United States, Shaolin Monk Shi Yanming returned to Shaolin Temple leading the largest entourage ever to participate in the International Shaolin Festival. Yanming risked everything to bring his students to China; it was to be a powerful lesson in kungfu. His "Return to Shaolin" Tour was reported in our Shaolin Temple Special Collector's Edition in Spring 2000, and even received attention from some pop magazines like Details and Blast. And yet, those articles only sampled a few tracks off a much larger compilation of warrior travel tales. This death defying journey followed in the footsteps of its leader Shi Yanming - unconventional, unpredictable and unapologetic - and set to a blasting rap beat.

Accompanying Yanming's "Return to Shaolin" tour was his most notorious student, RZA, the musical mastermind behind the quadruple-platinum rap group Wu-Tang Clan. RZA built his multimillion-dollar music empire upon the mythology of the "old school" kungfu movies. Alongside his Shifu Yanming, RZA made it to the source - for real - standing on the rugged soil of Shaolin Temple. But that was just the beginning of his journey, there was much more to come. Next stop was China's other famous martial monastery, the cradle of Tai Chi and the very inspiration for RZA's music, the real Wu-Tang Mountain - Wudangshan.

[#3 posted by mistervega, July 21, 2009 7:11 PM]

Shaquille O’Neal told a reporter, “Tell Yao Ming, ‘ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.’” - http://asianweek.com/2003_01_03/sports_yaoming.html

[#4 posted by Xeni Jardin, July 21, 2009 7:18 PM]

Oh, wow, mistervega. I would agree that such a remark is racist and offensive.

[#5 posted by Anonymous, July 21, 2009 8:17 PM]

True, it was a horrible, racist, ugly thing to say.

But, he did actually apologize to Yao Ming *in Mandarin*, actually using the phrase for "I'm sorry" (rather than the usual non-apology that people mumble these days).

So, it never should have been said; but, he tried to do the right thing after the fact.

[#6 posted by Xeni Jardin, July 21, 2009 10:12 PM]

@#5, ah, that's my Shaq.

[#7 posted by Ian_McLoud, July 22, 2009 7:23 PM]

Plus, that incident is from January 2003....