Shaquille O’ Neal is not a stranger to the camera by any means. Ever since the 7′1″ four time world champion made his mark in the NBA, music videos, movies and reality shows have all been a part of the job of being the largest star in the NBA. In Shaq’s new reality show however, the Diesel is getting ready to step out of his comfort of the NBA court to take on the world’s greatest athletes in each of their respectives sports.

“Shaq Vs.” will pit The Big Aristotle up against Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps, boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya, St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, tennis star Serena Williams, beach volleyball Olympians Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, and two-time SuperBowl winning quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. Set to premiere August 18th at 9pm EST, the 37-year-old future hall-of-famer says he hopes to book Lance Armstrong after the Tour de France comes to an end.

Each episode is to include preliminary challenges, banter from news conferences, interaction with needy kids, and O’Neal and his rival negotiating a handicap. The laughs come from “trash talking,” but “when it comes to competing, there is no joking,” O’Neal said when asked about the show.

O’Neal says he came up with the idea as a fun way to help train for the NBA season and figured sports fans “would really want to see an athlete play another sport.” He knew most of the athletes and recruited some of them on Twitter.

“He’s very playful, almost everyone can relate to him. He has a fun sort of childish persona, and at the same time he’s a superstar,” says John Saade, co-chief of ABC’s reality programming, says of the 7-foot-1 O’Neal. “Our real hope is you come for the absurdity but you stay for the sport.”

Spotted at : USA Today