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Part of a series on Shaquille O'Neal. [View Related Entries]


BBQ Chicken Alert meme and image examples.

BBQ Chicken Alert

Part of a series on Shaquille O'Neal. [View Related Entries]

Updated Oct 21, 2025 at 05:01PM EDT by Zach.

Added Oct 21, 2025 at 01:09PM EDT by Zach.

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About

BBQ Chicken Alert, also known as Barbecue Chicken Alert or Barbeque Chicken Alert, is a catchphrase used by former professional basketball player and sports commentator Shaquille O'Neal, better known as Shaq. The line was originally uttered by Shaq following an NBA game in 2009 and essentially means that someone or something is an easy meal and can be cooked or eaten up. In the mid-to-late 2010s, the phrase notably became a meme when Shaq read it multiple times for a Waze app recording that was then remixed into songs and TikTok audios in the 2020s, primarily seeing memetic usage in late 2025 as a brainrot meme.

Origin

Shaq first coined the catchphrase after a 2009 NBA game when he went for 45 points while playing with the Phoenix Suns against the Toronto Raptors, which resulted in a 133-113 victory for the Suns. Following the match, Shaq said, "I think I’m the only player who looks at each and every center in the league and says, 'That’s barbecue chicken down there.'"[1]

Larry Brown Sports[2] was one of the first websites to report on the catchphrase in an article titled "Why does Shaq say ‘barbecue chicken alert’?" that was published on May 5th, 2014. In the piece, Brown explained the meaning behind the phrase as:

That’s essentially Shaq’s way of saying that’s meat down there, an easy meal, something you can cook, roast and eat up all game.

While posts referencing the catchphrase appeared on social media platforms, such as Reddit,[3] as early as April 2015, the exact first usage of BBQ Chicken Alert as a meme is unknown.

However, on April 13th, 2016, Shaq posted a video of himself in a recording booth to his official X[4] / Twitter account (@SHAQ) reading lines for the real-time traffic and directions app Waze, uttering "BBQ chicken alert" several times. This video, which received over 900 likes and 50 replies in nine years, later became the source of many memes related to the catchphrase.


Spread

Over the following years, Shaq's use of the "BBQ Chicken Alert" catchphrase slowly led to memes referencing it as it spread online.

For example, on April 5th, 2019, a since-deleted Redditor posted a Nobody meme to the /r/NBA2k[5] subreddit for the NBA 2K video game series, which depicted Shaq captioned with the phrase. The post received over 2,400 upvotes and 48 comments before being archived.


A BBQ Chicken Alert meme example depicting "Shaquille O'Neal":https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/shaquille-oneal, or Shaq, that was posted to the NBA 2K subreddit in April 2019, referencing how often he uses the catchphrase.

Sometime in 2020, Imgflip[6] user KeavenStinger posted another example of the meme using the Sleeping Shaq format, receiving over 740 views in five years.


A BBQ Chicken Alert meme using the "Sleeping Shaq":https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/sleeping-shaq format that was uploaded to ImgFlip in 2020.

On April 18th, 2022, YouTube user Ethan Gentle reposted the clip of Shaq saying the catchphrase numerous times for Waze, garnering over 88,000 views, 3,100 likes and 50 comments in three years.



On May 11th, 2023, Tenor[7] user CoachGuwop uploaded a reaction GIF of the meme to the site, which depicted Shaq saying the line from the Waze recording video while the caption, "BARBECUE CHICKEN ALERT," and two Siren Emojis flash on screen.


A GIF of the BBQ Chicken Alert meme, depicting "Shaquille O'Neal":https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/shaquille-oneal, or Shaq, saying the phrase in a recording booth.

On June 13th, 2024, TikTok user @therealslacker posted a brainrot edit of the meme, receiving over 529,000 likes, 162,000 shares and 2,000 comments in a year.

@therealslacker #brainrot #bbqchickenalert #shaq #fyp #slawg ♬ original sound – Mr.Slacker

On October 1st, 2025, YouTuber and musical artist Dubskie uploaded his song "BBQ Chicken Alert Ft. Shaq" to his channel, which remixed Shaq's catchphrase and Waze recording into a song, receiving over 10,000 views, 760 likes and 80 comments in two weeks.



Late 2025 Resurgence On TikTok

Particularly in September and October 2025, the BBQ Chicken Alert meme saw a notable increase in usage on TikTok via brainrot edits and remixes that turned the Waze recording of Shaq saying the phrase into songs.

On September 22nd, 2025, TikToker @aiken.666 uploaded a video of Papa Louie gameplay set to a remixed song of Shaq's catchphrase, receiving over 43,300 likes and 340 comments in a month. Over the following month, the TikTok[8] sound was used in over 4,200 videos as the meme spread online.

@aiken.666 bbq chicken alert 🚨🚨🚨 #papalouie #edit #bbqchicken #flashgames #jugg ♬ original sound – aiken⁶⁶⁶

On October 12th, TikToker @pj.kronos uploaded Dubskie's remix of the BBQ Chicken Alert meme alongside a Kevin Spencer Cerebral Palsy Wheelchair Fan Art meme with the caption, "how it feels to cover your ears at loud noises," receiving over 337,000 likes and 2,300 comments in nine days. The TikTok[9] audio of Dubskie's song was then used in over 12,500 videos over the following week.

@pj.kronos

✌️😔 type shi

♬ BBQ Chicken Alert – Dubskie

Various Examples


@audreyyish #bbqchicken ♬ BBQ Chicken Alert – Dubskie

@.too.much.to.ask Barbecue Chicken alert! 🥹✌️ #moodboards #bbqchickenalert #funny #fyp #xzybca ♬ BBQ Chicken Alert – Dubskie

Template


A GIF of the BBQ Chicken Alert meme, depicting "Shaquille O'Neal":https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/people/shaquille-oneal, or Shaq, saying the phrase in a recording booth.

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External References


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