Shaq Challenges Beckham, Calls Him ‘Lil Man’

Most celebrity athletes, after hearing about David Beckham's run-in with some fans earlier in the week, would avoid discussing Beckham in public for fear of making a bad situation worse.

Not Shaquille O'Neal.

Shaq, gearing up for his new reality show Shaq Vs., challenged the world's most famous soccer player to a friendly — sort of.

From Shaq's Twitter page:

Dear david beckham, I kno u heard about my shaq vs show, anyway u will never score a goal on me, I challenge you lil man

The show pits Shaq against some of the top athletes in sports, including Michael Phelps, Ben Roethlisberger, Albert Pujols, Serena Williams and Oscar de la Hoya, among others.

Shaq's challenge to Beckham, of course, is all in good fun. After all, it followed the groundbreaking Tweet that said, "Happy birthday , harry potter main charachter dude," which itself followed the heartfelt, "Rip taco bell dog, roof roof."

The show is scheduled to debut on Aug. 18.