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Shaq stirs up Twitter drama by trying to poach LG Overwatch star

Shaquille O'Neal (Getty Images)
Shaquille O’Neal (Getty Images)

Shaquille O’Neal spent most of his pro career being coveted by NBA owners far and wide. But as a co-owner himself these days — he’s an investor in esports org NRG — the Big Aristotle is already breaking decorum by reaching out publicly to players.

Specifically, the Diesel turned heads Monday by tweeting a not-so-subtle invitation to a member of Luminosity Gaming’s Overwatch team, Brandon “Seagull” Larned:

Seagull is largely considered the most popular streamer in Overwatch, averaging around 30,000 viewers whenever he goes live.

The comment sparked some commentary from industry pundits and figureheads, including professional League of Legends caster Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles.

So did Shaq actually do something wrong? Technically, no. While this would certainly qualify as tampering in the LCS, there is no governing body to hand down fines or punishment for attempted poaching in Overwatch (or any Blizzard esports game, for that matter). As long as Luminosity has a legal contract in place, if Shaq wants to pick up Seagull’s Overwatch team, he’ll most likely have to meet buyout terms set by LG. And that’s about it.

Still, pretty bold move by Shaq. Though as a certified genie, he could probably just wish Seagull over to NRG and avoid the drama altogether.

Dylan Walker is on Twitter @dyluuxx