A viral Indiana Pacers fan couple almost became an engagement story.
Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal told Pacers couple Grace and Michael he would buy the ring if they got engaged on the spot. “Ask her to marry you right now, I’ll buy the engagement ring,” O’Neal said last month on ESPN’s “Inside the NBA.”
The couple hesitated through the surprise offer, and the segment ended without a proposal.
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The Conversation That Didn’t Add Up
The couple drew attention early last month at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, where a TV camera caught them talking in the stands during a Pacers-Nets game, a moment that quickly spread online.
Co-host Ernie Johnson asked Michael what he was talking about and why there was a “filibuster in the stands.”
“We were talking about sort of the rigors of a liberal arts education,” Michael said. He thought it should reflect the future job market and that she disagreed.
Grace framed the viral moment more casually. She said their usual conversation was being interrupted by the game and that she is not a big sports fan.
“I don’t believe that story that you just told,” O’Neal said, suggesting he thought the answer was planned.
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The Offer Was Instant. The Answer Wasn’t
When O’Neal referred to Grace as his wife, Michael said she was his girlfriend. O’Neal then told him to propose. “Get on your knee right now,” he said. “I’ll buy the ring. Look into the camera when you do that.”
Michael did not propose and instead asked whether the show’s hosts would attend the wedding. “If you guys agree to come to the wedding, we’ll do that,” Michael said.
O’Neal said he would attend, but co-host Charles Barkley pointed out that they would need to know when the wedding would take place.
“You’ve already cursed him out on national television,” Barkley said. “If you turn him down on national television, he better abort! Abort! Abort!”
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