Throwback Thursday: "Shaq Pack" From Burger King

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most colorful personalities we have ever had in the NBA and it was on full display in this 2002 Burger King Commercial. I remember watching this commercial like it was yesterday while Shaq was the most dominant player in the league.

 The commercial displays O’Neal walking on a street en route to a street ball court while wearing a black leather jacket to the theme music of “Shaft”. He interrupts a random basketball game and intercepts a pass from some regular human catching it with 2 hands. Then the music grows louder and louder with Issac Hayes (AKA Chef from South Park Or the guy who did the voice for the Shaft theme song in the movie) in the background rearranging the original words to the shaft theme song and replacing Shafts name with Shaq. He starts singing “who is the man that can jam over any man”? The ladies in a very 70’s tone say “SHAQ”. While all this is going on Shaquille is dribbling the ball up the court performing a spin move and then finishing with a dunk. O’Neal’s dunk is followed by a “Can you dig it” by Issac Hayes and some fist bumps. A foray of what is in the Shaq pack followed.

Now although the commercial is all of 30 seconds long my description in the paragraph above are only the first 15 seconds we haven’t even reached our crescendo yet. So after the fist bumps Shaq eats some of the “Shaq Pack” with a kid who was in awe of him and then goes back on the court and dunks the ball on the guys again. I mean he is already in a leather jacket and a black t-shirt but to eat a burger then go dunk some people again is incredible. After the dunk Issac Hayes explains what the “Shaq Pack” is saying enthusiastically “grilled sourdough bacon cheeseburger, crispy fries with free warm cheddar cheese dipping sauce and a coca-cola classic”. Now I  don’t know about you but from my perspective it doesn’t get any more American then that combo. The commercial is ended with a co-sign from Shaq himself saying “you got to have a Shaq Pack baby”.  This could arguably be the best Burger King commercial ever, I think its time to treat the “Shaq Pack” like a pair of Air Jordan sneakers and retro it. Bring back the “Shaq Pack”!!!!