Featured Image Credit: John Parra/Contributor/Getty / Instagram/West Coast Customs
More than just being known as a giant on the basketball court, Shaquille O’Neal is known for his larger-than-life personality. As arguably one of the best-known sporting celebrities out there, Shaq has put his retirement to good use by doing everything from appearing in commercials to professional wrestling, being a rap artist and DJ to even being Clayton County's tallest sheriff's deputy.
In the latest bizarre headline involving Shaq, he's modified a Lucid Air just so he can fit in it. Lucid Motors' car is typically a battery-electric 4-door luxury sedan, but thanks to O'Neal and a bit of work from West Coast Customs, it looks like a whole different vehicle.
If you haven't heard of West Coast Customs, they're the team that made a white Lincoln Continental for Post Malone, turned Pricilla Chan's Porsche Cayenne into a Turbo GT Minivan, and customized Justin Bieber's Ferrari 458 Liberty Walk.
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The Lucid Air is nearly two meters wide and five meters long, however, with Shaq being an impressive 7'1" tall (2.16m) and boasting arms that are longer than some people's legs, the typically roomy Lucid Air was just too small for him.
In the video, West Coast Customs showed how they had to cut out the Lucid Air's B-pillar, swap all four doors for a new set of two that are larger than usual, and add some Superman-branded rims.
As the final coup de grâce, West Coast Customs changed the Lucid Air logo for 'Diesel', which is one of Shaq’s nicknames.
Loving the custom job, one fan cheered: "The car that Lucid should have designed. The coolest coupe."
Another added, "I KNEW it had to be y’all on that work!🔥🔥🔥🔥," and a third said, "Only @westcoastcustoms can do this. No one else. The westcoast touch❤️".
Ryan Friedlinghaus is the founder and CEO of West Coast Customs, starting the car customization shop with just a $5,000 loan in 1993.
O'Neal has a long history with WCC, and even before it really hit the limelight with Pimp My Ride, one of its first customs was a Chevrolet Suburban for the star. After that series ended, WCC headed up Street Customs and made a Cadillac for Shaq.
Speaking to the LA Times back in 2004, Lois Curren, executive vice president of MTV series entertainment, said, "We fell in love with Ryan, and the employees are amazing. It was a very busy, fully functioning garage. Shaquille had a car in there, and I was like, oh my gosh, this is the real deal."
As for Shaq, he's a known EV enthusiast. Instead of owning just one Cybertruck, he bought three.
Still, Shaq now has the only two-door Lucid Air in the world and his relationship with WCC looks like it's as strong as ever.
