Shaq in goggles and a Speedo? He’s racing Michael Phelps

BALTIMORE (AP) — Don’t go calling him the Big Rip-off.

Shaquille O’Neal says ex-teammate Steve Nash’s idea for a reality TV show was “slightly different” from the premise of “Shaq VS.”

At an appearance Saturday to promote the series-ending episode — in which he’ll race against Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps — the Cleveland Cavaliers center said Nash’s premise was based on training with other athletes, not competing against them.

“Everyone in America has similar ideas,” O’Neal said. “He had a similar idea. His idea was slightly different.”

Noting that Nash is an executive producer of his ABC program, O’Neal said: “He’s the Canadian Aaron Spelling, and I’m the black Spielberg.”

The Arizona Republic reported last week that Nash mentioned a “reality show he was pursuing” to O’Neal in early 2008, while both were members of the Phoenix Suns. The newspaper said Nash would not confirm the story and quoted the point guard as saying, “We collaborated on parts of the show.”

O’Neal said the concept for the program came about during an Olympic-watching party at his house in August 2008. According to O’Neal, someone turned to him while Phelps was winning one of his eight gold medals at the Beijing Games and asked, “Hey, you think you can make it down before he makes it down and up?”

“And I said, ‘Yeah, of course I could,”’ O’Neal recounted Saturday. “I said, ‘Well, hook it up.’ And that’s how the show started.”

For the Sept. 15 episode, he’ll take on Phelps at a Baltimore-area pool Sunday, with help from Phelps’ own coach, Bob Bowman. The emcee explained that O’Neal will swim 50 meters and Phelps will race a “longer distance, to be revealed” — something O’Neal apparently did when he made reference to having to swim one length of the pool before Phelps can finish two lengths.

They’ll also square off in a relay of sorts: O’Neal will have teammates, including medal-winning Olympic swimmers, while Phelps will swim every lap himself.

There could be another edge for the man who said he’s known around Orlando as “Shaq-mu” — like the whale Shamu, get it? Phelps showed up in a walking boot for Saturday’s part-of-the-TV-show “news conference” at a restaurant overlooking Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

The black boot covers Phelps’ right foot entirely and goes almost all the way up to his knee. He injured his right ankle in a car accident a little more than a week ago.

Phelps was driving with an invalid, out-of-state license Aug. 13 when another driver ran a red light, causing the accident, according to Baltimore police.

“I’ve been in the water this week. Everything is precautionary. Nothing major. I can still train and everything,” he said Saturday.

Phelps added with a smile: “I’m actually trying to get in Shaq’s head with the boot a little bit. He doesn’t know if it’s real or fake. I kind of have that working to my advantage.”

Phelps’ sport has been going through quite a bit of turmoil about swimsuits and how much of an advantage new models provide.

While the 7-foot-1, 325-pound O’Neal — about 9 inches taller and 125 heavier than Phelps — did not say whether he will be outfitted in goggles and flippers Sunday, the Big Fin did offer this tidbit: “I’m wearing the same suit he wore in the Olympics. It might take me an hour and a half to get into it, but I’m going to wear it.”