Shaq is the star of ELEAGUE’s new CS:GO advert

Considering all of the celebrity cameos in videogames over recent years, it's perhaps no surprise that Turner Broadcasting run Esports organisation, ELEAGUE, is doing the same to promote this year's Counter Strike tournament. Instead of going with a classical actor though, it went with Shaq Fu and Kazaam star Shaquille O' Neal.

‘Shaq' appears in a short video talking about getting his “PHD in CS:GO,” though that involved him actually stepping into the game, with a slightly warped perspective. In a few clips we see the man putting out fires, managing chickens and offering the player character some cheese.

We went there. We @Shaq-ified CS:GO.

ELEAGUE begins May 24. (and on @TBSnetwork starting May 27th)https://t.co/lPQPl8CSBR

— ELEAGUE (@EL) May 17, 2016

It's all rather nonsensical, but delivered with enough tongue pressed into its cheek to make it funny at points. I'm not sure how many people this will encourage to watch ELEAGUE, but it's got us and a few other publications talking, so press is press.

Of course Shaq himself has plenty of experience with hammy performances. He appeared as the rhyming (certainly not rapping) genie in Kazaam, with much less self-awareness than this advert. [yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GfdemcL35A']

But perhaps Shaq's greatest role was in Shaq-Fu, where he brawled his way across China in the 16bit console days, with terrible controls and worse gameplay. Perhaps they can correct that in the sequel.

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KitGuru Says: I think Shaq might have played a sport at some point too, but it's hard to imagine anyone with this much acting talent wasting it on the court. 

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