Overview
- O’Neal used his Big Podcast this week to read the alleged Instagram DMs aloud and reject them as bogus, joking that he has “way more game than that.”
- The images were flagged on the show as manipulated, with co-host Bailey Jackson pointing to a photoshopped profile image and guest Jim Jones warning that AI tools can make fakes look real.
- The screenshots spread widely on social platforms before his denial, and one outlet reported they originated from a parody Instagram account that fabricates NBA content.
- Sabrina Carpenter has not publicly commented on the rumor, and her representatives did not respond to media inquiries in the latest coverage.
- Multiple outlets from TMZ to People and USA TODAY detailed how the phony exchange matched Shaq’s real profile photo, a reminder that cloned pictures and edited chat windows can manufacture convincing but false DM threads.