Shaquille O’Neal Tells Bobbi Althoff ‘I Love You’ On His Podcast

Basketball legend and sports analyst Shaquille O’Neal has proved that his rizz game is unmatched in a recent episode of The Big Podcast With Shaq.

During the filmed podcast episode, O’Neal tried to pry into his latest guest, social media comedian Funny Marco’s love life as he asked him if he was dating Bobbi Althoff. Althoff is a social media influencer who rose to fame in 2023 with the launch of The Really Good Podcast. She is known for using deadpan humor to make her guests, primarily other influencers or rappers, uncomfortable, much like Marco does on his show Open Thoughts.

Since both sarcastically humorous social media personalities are collaborating and hanging out more, it’s no surprise that O’Neal inquired about their relationship status. In true Marco fashion, he flipped the script, and instead of answering O’Neal, he began to ask about O’Neal’s love life and “how long he’d been DM’ing” rapper Ice Spice.

Marco encouraged O’Neal to seek other women better suited for him after O’Neal revealed that Ice Spice responded to only one DM, despite O’Neal messaging her since the 2024 Super Bowl. Insert Althoff. When Marco implied that he could set O’Neal up with a woman who was a “good match” for him, the ex-Los Angeles Laker immediately said, “Bobbi.”

A skeptical Marco shook his head in disagreement, but that didn’t sway O’Neal as he insisted that Marco “hooked him up with Bobbi.” Initially, Marco seemed to be unsure if O’Neal was joking or was serious, hence him asking the latter if he was “for real.” O’Neal confessed that he was, in fact, serious about dating Althoff, adding, “Once she goes Shaq, she’ll never go back.”

Marco made it clear that he didn’t think Althoff was the right pick for O’Neal. However, that didn’t stop him from telling O’Neal to ask Althoff out on a date.  

“I’m sitting here with Funny Marco. He told me to ask you on a date, so can I take you to the movies,” O’Neal told Althoff over the phone while podcasting.

She can be heard awkwardly giggling and then quickly saying “sure” in her famous dry tone, which we’ve all come to expect from her. O’Neal further added, “Alright, I love you, Bobbi,” and continued, “I’ll call you later.”

Following the call, Marco criticizes his date idea, even addressing the audience and asking, “Is going to the movies considered a date?” O’Neal says it is before questioning whether or not Marco is jealous of him for “stealing his girl.” Althoff and O’Neal already crossed paths a few months ago when Shaq Diesel was a guest on her podcast.

It is unknown how seriously either of them is taking this, as both are known for comedy. This may well have been a one-off joke on a podcast. Maybe it’s a joke, or it could be the start of something real.

Althoff has been divorced from her husband of four years, with whom she has two kids, Isla and Luca, since February 2024. Some may think three months is not enough time to move on, but maybe Shaq and his comedic personality are just what she needs.