Shaquille O’Neal caught in Tiger King row as animal rights campaigners demand NBA legend cuts ties with zoo owner

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL is caught in a Tiger King row as animal rights campaigners demand the NBA legend cuts ties with the zoo owner.

The retired basketball star has spoken out on his controversial cameo in Netflix's Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.

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Tiger King is a seven-episode true crime series about wildcat enthusiast Joe Exotic which has taken the world by storm.

The series focuses on Joe’s undying hatred for animal rights activist Carole Baskin - something which in the end will see him behind bars.

He is currently serving a 22-year sentence for planning a murder-for-hire plot and for more than a dozen wildlife violations, including killing five tigers.

On the most recent episode of his podcast O'Neal said: "Listen, people are going to make their own opinions but, again, I was just a visitor. I met this guy (Joe Exotic) — not my friend. Don’t know him.

"I never had any business dealings with him, and I had no idea any of that stuff was going on."

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O'Neal is known for his love of big cats and appeared in the first episode of the series where he was seen touring the zoo and posing for pictures with the exotic animals.

The series also showed a clip of the basketball ace doing a shoutout to his "main man Joe."

According to to while working as a sports pundit on American television network TNT, O'Neal announced he had purchased two more tigers.

On his podcast the NBA star added: "I don't harm tigers, I love tigers.

"I love white tigers. Do I put donations to these zoos to help these tigers out? I do it all the time. Do I own tigers personally at my house? No."

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Fans have criticised O'Neal's appearance in the controversial show which is the most watched TV series on Netflix amid the coronavirus lockdown.

The 48-year-old spent eight years alongside pal Kobe Bryant with the LA Lakers before leaving for the Miami Heat in 2004.

In January he paid an emotional tribute to his former team-mate after Bryant, 41, tragically died in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter and seven others.