Shaq's back at ABC mid-August

By Hanh Nguyen, Zap2It | July 21, 2009

Shaquille O'Neal

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Shaquille O'Neal will take on other celebrity athletes in a reality competition series.

ABC's "Shaq Vs.," which premieres on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, will pit the NBA star against the likes of Michael Phelps, Serena Williams and Ben Roethlisberger.

O'Neal will put himself at a disadvantage also by challenging the athletes in their area of expertise. So he'll swim against Phelps, hit the gridiron with Roethlisberger and take up a racket against Williams, enter the ring against Oscar de la Hoya, go to bat against St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols and play some beach volleyball with Misty May-Treanor.

"These athletes may be on top of their game, but I am up for the challenge," says O'Neal. "I plan to train hard and win, so look out."

The show will follow his training, the press conferences and interviews that make up the pre-game "hype" and of course, the competition itself. And yes, some sort of handicap will be negotiated.