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Breaking:Pic showing Simone Biles and Shaquille O’Neal’s height difference goes viral again during Olympics
Simone Biles may be a giant in the world of gymnastics, but she looks just a little bit smaller in a fun throwback pic that shows her posing next to former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal.
The image, which Biles originally shared on social media in February 2017, has gone viral again during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 4-foot-8 Biles, who wowed sports lovers when she and Team USA won gold during the women’s gymnastics team final July 30, wears a strappy white top and a short black skirt in the photo, while the 7-foot-1 O’Neal wears a suit and tie.
Biles captioned the shot “hey Shaq,” adding a hand-wave emoji.
Social media users got a kick out of the the athletes’ height difference, with many noting that Biles actually appeared taller in the pic because she was wearing heels.
When the image began circulating again during the Olympics, people were just as delighted.
“Never forget this iconic photo of Shaq and Simone Biles,” DraftKings captioned the shot, adding emoji of a goat and a crying-laughing face.
Another X post joked, “Shaquille O’Neal is two Simone Biles tall.”
Some commenters responded by pointing out that Biles doesn’t need height to execute gymnastics moves that O’Neal — and the rest of humanity — can only dream of.
She has a better chance at dunking a basketball than he does of making it across the balance beam,” one wrote.
Or, as another fan put it, “And she can do flips and twists above his head!”
It’s not the first time Biles has posed with a much taller athlete.
In 2016, Biles stood back to back with Team USA volleyball player David Lee, who is 6-foot-8, in a pic NBC Olympics shared on Facebook.
“Athletes come in all shapes and sizes,” read the photo’s caption.
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This article was originally published on TODAY.com