Miss California MAGA model Carrie Prejean issues bold challenge to Simone Biles with Shaquille O’Neal snap as trans athlete debate rages on

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has found himself getting involved in a heated debate online regarding transgender athletes. To be specific, a snapshot of O’Neal next to an Olympic gymnast has been appropriated as “proof” that physical attributes are not the same among different genders.

On Friday, Simone Biles — winner of 11 Olympic medals in her career — went on X to take a shot at conservative political activist Riley Gaines. Biles’ tweet came after Gaines had criticized a Minnesota high school softball team that had fielded a supposedly trans player in their state title conquest.

“You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL sports!!” Biles tweeted. “But instead… You bully them…”

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On Saturday, model Carrie Prejean Boller posted a set of Tweets in an attempt to refute Biles. One of these tweets was an image of the gymnast, who stands 4-foot-8, next to the 7-foot-1 O'Neal.

Boller went on to dare Biles to compete against a male gymnast, with the condition that she has to return all her Olympic accolades if she loses to that opponent.

This is not the first time that Biles has been associated with inclusive advocacy. In an August 2024 article for Forbes, culture change agent Simone E. Morris called Biles an "inclusive leader" who offers "a positive light to combat stigmas generally surrounding mental health as a challenge."

Shaquille O'Neal on being a vocal TV personality: "I'm not changing."

Shaquille O'Neal has proven time and time again to be a candid personality who doesn't shy away from calling other individuals and groups as well.

His most high-profile presence on TV these days is his role as analyst on "Inside the NBA." In a recent episode of "The Rich Eisen Show," the four-time NBA champion maintained that his on-air personality would not change despite the show's looming move to ESPN.

"Chuck's not changing and I'm not changing," O'Neal said.

Fans can expect the same brutal honesty from Shaq and Charles Barkley as "Inside the NBA" moves to its new home at ESPN next season.

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About the author

Simoun Victor Redoblado

Simoun Victor Redoblado is an NBA and WNBA journalist at Sportskeeda with over 12 years of experience writing for publications such as Collider, ALL-STAR Magazine, and Sir Charles in Charge.

Simoun has a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education, Major in English and Minor in journalism. Thanks to the journalism courses that he took, Simoun understood the fundamentals of journalistic storytelling in the context of sports writing.

Passionate for the UP Fighting Maroons, Simoun is a fan of the NBA, PBA, UAAP, and FIBA.
His childhood team was the Chicago Bulls and Simoun was a longtime supporter of the Houston Rockets because his friends would say he looked like Yao Ming.

Simoun loves the systematic, tactical movement of the ball and the players, the stories behind each individual competing on the hardcourt and most of all, how basketball is a sport for life and all its struggles and lessons.

A father of two, Simoun spends his free time with his kids.

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