Simone Biles and Shaquille O’Neal picture: The story behind viral side-by-side photo showing height difference

Jacob Camenker

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Simone Biles and Shaquille O’Neal picture: The story behind viral side-by-side photo showing height difference image

Seven years before appearing at the 2024 Olympics, Simone Biles attended one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history.

Biles, then 20, went to Super Bowl 51, which was held in her native Houston. There, she witnessed the Patriots overcome a 28-3 deficit against the Falcons in a 34-28 overtime win. It saw Tom Brady add to his legacy by winning his fifth Super Bowl ring and earning one of the biggest comeback victories in NFL history.

Brady wasn't the only one to create a memorable moment that evening. Biles did as well by snapping a picture of herself standing next to NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal.

The photo quickly became a viral sensation and has resurfaced at almost every one of Biles' major competitions since.

Here's what to know about the height difference between the two all-time greats.

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Simone Biles and Shaquille O’Neal picture

A picture of Biles and O'Neal together went viral at Super Bowl 51 back in 2017. The two were photographed standing next to one another, which highlighted the massive height difference between the two.

Below is a look at the photo:

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How tall is Simone Biles?

Simone Biles is just 4-8. That makes her Team USA's shortest gymnast among the five women on the team in 2024, though alternate Joscelyn Roberson is the same height as Biles.

The big difference between Biles and Roberson? Biles, 27, is the oldest American female gymnast to compete at an Olympics since 1952. Roberson is just 18 years old.

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Simone Biles vs. Shaq height difference

While Biles stands at 4-8, O'Neal stands at a whopping 7-1. He was one of the NBA's tallest players during his playing days — though he is still half a foot shorter than the tallest player in NBA history, 7-7 Manute Bol.

That makes the difference between O'Neal and Biles 2 feet, 5 inches. That's more than half of Biles' height.

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Can Simone Biles dunk a basketball?

Biles jumps roughly 12 feet into the air during her gymnastics routines. That has led many to wonder whether she can dunk a basketball because of her short stature.

Biles could certainly achieve the feat if looking to achieve it on a springboard floor, like the ones on which gymnasts compete during floor exercise competitions. However, it doesn't seem likely that Biles can dunk on an NBA hardwood. She simply wouldn't get airborne enough to get the ball in the hoop.

Biles did have a "dunk" of sorts with the Harlem Globetrotters in 2017, but that came off a springboard at the World Champions Centre in Texas. She also used a toy ball and a toy hoop while getting into the air, so it wasn't the type of dunk most NBA Fans would be envisioning.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.