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What Had Happened Was

What Had Happened Was: 6/22/16

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    FBL-COPAM2016-USA-ARG
    Argentina’s Gonzalo Higuain (9) celebrates with teammate Lionel Messi after scoring against USA during their Copa America Centenario semifinal football match in Houston, Texas, United States, on June 21, 2016. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
    By Rhiannon Walker Ryan Cortes

    GAME. BLOUSES.

    Let’s just take a moment and remember how dominant and ridiculous Shaquille O’Neal was as a player. It might sound absurd, but the further out we get from his playing career, the more we remember O’Neal as a giant, plodding (albeit great) big man. But the truth is: He was electric from the moment he came into the league, unlike just about anything we’d ever seen.

    Seriously, watch this video of some of his top plays of all time and tell us you hadn’t forgotten, even ever so slightly, just how historic and rare O’Neal was:

    Now that we’ve properly reminded you of his past, we can reconvene on his present. On Tuesday, a fan put up a Twitter video showing his encounter while meeting O’Neal. He did not think O’Neal knew he was recording. But he was wrong.

    That wasn’t even the best O’Neal news of the day, though. Nope, the best part was when O’Neal wanted to take a shot at Golden State Warrior Stephen Curry and he wore this T-shirt:

    If you take one look at the dude’s twitter account, you know misspellings aren’t uncommon, but come on, man, on a PRINTED T-SHIRT? Shaq, you’re one of the greatest ever but come on, man.

    BLESSINGS!

    Thank you, Foot Locker, for providing us with commercial poking fun at Los Angeles Laker D’Angelo Russell’s social media faux pas. We appreciate someone who doesn’t take themselves too seriously and can make light of what was a firestorm when it first happened.

    SOCIAL STATUS

    Shoot, we’d be sipping the Kool-Aid and buying into the company motto, too, if we were about to be paid millions. We ain’t mad at you, Ben Simmons. Get yours.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BG7I-2yBYhv/

    FOR THE CULTURE

    On this day in 1964, Freedom Summer activists Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman disappeared, and 44 days later, they were found shot and buried in shallow graves in Mississippi.

    Here are all of the names of the senators who voted down an amendment that would’ve prevented people on the terrorist watch list from being transferred guns. Here are the names of the senators who voted against expanding all gun background checks, and here’s the amount of those who voted against these amendments received from the National Rifle Association.

    Musical artist Frank Ocean penned a beautiful letter and response on his Tumblr page to the Orlando nightclub massacre.

    First lady Michelle Obama just joined Snapchat, and she is FLEXIN’ on ’em.

    There will be no charges filed in the death of Kendrick Johnson, whose body was found rolled up in a gym mat three years ago.

    Did ya’ll know that W.E.B. DuBois had data visualization down pat 100 years ago? The more you know.

    TOP THREE TWEETS

    Every morning we’ll hit you here with the best of what we saw on social media the previous night. Why? Why not?

    1. R-E-S-P-E-C-K

    2. MESSI-NG AROUND

    3. TOO EASY

    #ICYMI

    Our teammates Justin Tinsley and Clinton Yates sat down to discuss Cleveland Cavalier LeBron James’ absurd, championship-saving swat — LeBlock, if you will — and how the man has perfected the chase down, “fear for what’s coming up behind you” block:

    http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=espn:16392290

    PICTURE PERFECT

    https://twitter.com/Ginge/status/745440093645611009

    Rhiannon Walker is an associate editor at The Undefeated. She is a drinker of Sassy Cow Creamery chocolate milk, an owner of an extensive Disney VHS collection, and she might have a heart attack if Frank Ocean doesn't drop his second album.

    Ryan Cortes is a staff writer for The Undefeated. Lemon pepper his wings.

    This Story Tagged: What Had Happened Was