When you think of Shaquille O’Neal, you imagine slam dunks, massive personality, and his unmatched ability to dominate on and off of the court. But his latest escapade takes “larger-than-life” to an entirely new level-straight into his backyard. The NBA legend just unveiled an impressive, custom pond in his Georgia home, with a 39-inch, 35-pound Yamabuki koi fish coming all the way from Japan-the piece de resistance he’s jokingly named after his “Inside the NBA” co-host and longtime frenemy, Charles Barkley.
But that pond is no ordinary water feature-it’s a testament to Shaq’s love for making a splash in both senses of the word.
Designed with the expertise of YouTube’s ‘Ed the Pond Professor,’ the project entailed moving 1,000,000 pounds of boulders, building a cascading waterfall, and even adding a putting green and a treehouse. It’s a luxury retreat worthy of a Hall of Famer-and now, it’s also home to one of the largest koi fish ever seen.
Adding additional humor to that story is this quip from the big man of them, Shaq. He jokily named the oversized koi Charles Barkley since he is, after all, his friend along with also being his most trusted co-operative host. When Shaq intoned, “Im naming this fish Charles Barkley” and gave that toothy grin familiar to millions everywhere, it represented the comedic camaraderie INSIDE THE N B A fans fell in love with every week.
For Shaq, this was much more than a landscaping enhancement; it was the chance to meld his love for grand gestures with his trademark humor. Barkley has yet to comment on his namesake fish, but one can only imagine his reaction once he learns of the 35-pound “tribute” swimming in Shaq’s pond.
It took some serious doing to bring Shaquille’s dream into fruition. The pond project, led by none other than Ed Beaulieu, aka ‘Ed the Pond Professor,’ became an internet sensation of its own. The process was captured in a YouTube video titled “Moving 1,000,000 Pounds of Rock for Shaq,” and has already amassed more than 165,000 views in a matter of days.
This video takes viewers through the incredible extent of the work involved. The video details the setting of large boulders into place to the more intricate waterfall design built into the pond-a true masterpiece in engineering and imagination. “We wanted to go above and beyond for Shaq,” Ed said in the video, illustrating the careful work involved.
And, of course, the story of the arrival of the koi itself contributes to the attractiveness of this project-the fish was acquired through Fritz’s Fish Pond, another YouTube channel that specialized in worldwide distribution of exotic fish. The transfer of this monster Yamabuki koi from Japan to Georgia wasn’t quite easy, but worth an attempt for one of the biggest koi in the world.
That golden Yamabuki koi-just christened “Charles Barkley“-is a vision to behold. Specialists from Fritz’s Fish Pond called it one of the largest koi they’ve ever delivered-fitting centerpiece for Shaq’s extravagant new pond. Its color and size are just out of this world; in fact, it shines brighter than this waterfalls-bedecked and replete-with-landscaping pond.
It is only the latest in the long line of Shaq’s endeavors-mixing humor, imagination, and outrageousness. Shaquille O’Neal never does things halfway, be it ruling the hard court, cracking jokes on live television, or building a koi pond fit for royalty.
But the pond is not just some aquatic wonderland-it’s a testament to Shaq’s outsized personality: a place he can retreat, entertain, and have a laugh with the world at Charles Barkley’s expense. Of late, Shaquille O’Neal’s koi pond has been the talk of town-online and offline-because this guy was reminding people just why he will always be one of the truly iconic NBA athletes. His spirit to have fun mixes well with making moments worth the experience, and indeed, the whole world is talking. Now, when one can locate Charles Barkley-named koi swimming in his yard, Shaq etched yet another unforgettable chapter on his legacy.
