Fifty-Foot Shaquille O’Neal Statue Stands at Gate of Beijing’s Chaoyang Park

Shaquille O’Neal has recently made headlines with his announcement that he will soon pretend to be a statue in Harvard Square, but the most famous — and biggest — artistic representation of the Big Shamrock will still be halfway around the world.

In Beijing, a 50-foot Shaq Colossus guards the gate to Chaoyang Park. Why? Despite Shaq’s “racist” comments about Yao Ming, he signed a big endorsement deal with Chinese footwear company Li-Ning, which sponsors the adjacent portion of the park.

Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke visited the statue in 2008, praying to it in the awkward monologue below.

NESN.com will showcase one Moment of Shaq every day until the Celtics open the season against the Heat on Oct. 26 at the TD Garden.

Monday, Oct. 11: Shaq drops one-liners.