Shaq Goes One-on-One With Spelling Champ

Reality TV star Shaquille O'Neal, who made his name competing on the basketball court, tried his hand at competitive spelling Friday.

O'Neal was at the Scripps National Spelling Bee in D.C. Friday to challenge last year's champ, 14-year-old Kavya Shivashankar, to a spell-off during a break from the bee.

The one-on-one was taped for O'Neal's "Shaq Vs." reality show.

Beforehand, O'Neal and Kavya exchanged some scripted trash talk. She said she would accept his challenge, warning him she beat Jimmy Kimmel in a similar challenge last year.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked O'Neal. "I did win the National Spelling Bee last year."

"Keep in mind I have my bachelor's and master's, and I'm ready to go," he said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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