NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal teams up with NordVPN, taking over NYC to raise awareness of digital threats
The NBA legend, alongside other pro-basketball players, came out to demonstrate the blocking power of Next Gen Antivirus in a new way
On Thursday, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal hosted a cybersecurity event in New York City to raise awareness about digital threats, working alongside NordVPN to educate Americans on the importance of online defense. The event took place in Times Square, where O’Neal, the NBA Hall of Famer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, served as NordVPN’s official ambassador since September.
The collaboration aimed to promote NordVPN’s all-in-one security suite, which includes its Next Gen Antivirus. This antivirus scans 12 million unique URLs daily, blocking approximately 130,000 malicious pages on average. In the first months of 2026, NordVPN reported blocking nearly 5 million malware attempts in the United States.
To illustrate the parallels between sport and digital security, the event featured professional basketball players who challenged the public to slam dunk, much like how NordVPN's antivirus intercepts and blocks malware and phishing attempts before they reach a user's device. Attendees were invited to compete against the experienced players, only to have the professionals successfully thwart their attempts, just as NordVPN safeguards against digital risks.
NordVPN highlighted the alarming statistic that 71% of Americans believe their common sense is sufficient to navigate digital threats, despite recent research revealing that 74% of respondents failed to recognize a fake URL and 82% couldn't identify a fake CAPTCHA. Additionally, 51% of Americans reuse the same or similar passwords across multiple accounts, making them vulnerable to cyber attacks.
Shockingly, 73% of Americans have already fallen victim to a scam in recent times, with nearly a quarter experiencing financial losses.
Shaquille O’Neal emphasized the importance of staying alert, making smart choices, and utilizing the right tools to protect oneself from cyber threats. He stated, "These scammers are getting smarter, and sometimes all it takes is one click or sharing one piece of information. You don't have to be a cybersecurity expert. You just have to stay alert, make smart choices, and use the right tools to protect yourself."
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