{"slug":"sleeping-shaq","name":"Sleeping Shaq","alternateFormats":[{"slug":"sleeping-shaq-blank","label":"Blank Template"}],"url":"/templates/sleeping-shaq.jpg","w":640,"h":631,"top":"SLEEPING THROUGH","bottom":"WAKES UP FOR","description":"The Sleeping Shaq meme template is ready for your captions. Shaq sleeps through something important in the top panel, then is wide awake for something trivial in the bottom. Perfect for misplaced priorities.","keywords":"sleeping shaq meme, shaq sleeping meme, shaq awake meme, ignoring meme, priorities meme, shaquille oneal meme","year":2017,"origin":"From photos of Shaquille O'Neal sleeping in bed (top panel, peaceful and unbothered in a selfie-style photo with his head on a pillow) versus a deep-fried glowing-eyes edit (bottom panel). The format shows someone completely ignoring something important while being fully alert for something trivial. The humor comes from the absurd gap between what deserves attention and what actually gets it. For related comparison/preference formats, see Drake Hotline Bling (rejecting one thing for another), Distracted Boyfriend (ignoring the right thing for the wrong thing), or Mother Ignoring Kid Drowning (misplaced priorities with consequences).","format":"template","textBoxes":[{"label":"Sleeping Through","x":1,"y":1,"w":47,"h":52,"placeholder":"Important thing he ignores","fontFamily":"Arial","fontColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":0,"isBold":false,"isAllCaps":false,"textAlign":"center","fontSize":45},{"label":"Wakes Up For","x":1,"y":56,"w":47,"h":41,"placeholder":"Trivial thing that gets his attention","fontFamily":"Arial","fontColor":"#000000","strokeWidth":0,"isBold":false,"isAllCaps":false,"textAlign":"center","fontSize":45}],"exampleCaptions":["200 unread emails from my boss","Someone brought donuts to the office"],"exampleAltText":"Sleeping Shaq meme about ignoring work emails but waking up for office donuts","exampleRefreshDate":"2026-02-28","howToMake":["The Sleeping Shaq template is loaded with 2 text fields: one for each panel, positioned on the left side next to Shaq","Fill in the top field with the important thing Shaq is sleeping through, and the bottom field with the trivial thing that has him wide awake","The bigger the gap between what's ignored and what gets attention, the funnier the meme. Go for absurd contrasts","Dark text on a clean background works well for the left-side labels. Keep fonts consistent between panels for a polished look","Your misplaced priorities are now documented. Download as PNG or Share to expose everyone's selective attention"],"seo":{"aliases":["Shaq Sleeping","Shaq Awake","Sleeping Shaquille","Shaq Sleep Meme","Shaq Woke Meme","Shaq Ignoring Meme"],"description":"Shaquille O'Neal in two contrasting states, stacked vertically. Top: Shaq is fast asleep in bed, completely peaceful and unbothered, head on a pillow in a selfie-style photo — dead to the world. Bottom: a deep-fried edit with glowing eyes, fully alert and engaged. The format labels what he's sleeping through (something important) versus what snaps him awake (something trivial), capturing the universal experience of having wildly misplaced priorities.","definition":"We all have wildly misplaced priorities, and Shaq sleeping through one thing while being wide awake for another is the cleanest way to call it out. The top panel shows him dead asleep (important stuff); the bottom shows a deep-fried glowing-eyes edit (trivial stuff).","useCases":[{"category":"Work & Career","examples":["Sleeping: the project deadline tomorrow / Awake: someone brought donuts to the office","Sleeping: 200 unread emails from my boss / Awake: the office fantasy football draft is live","Sleeping: the mandatory compliance training due today / Awake: someone mentioned free lunch in the break room","Sleeping: my performance review is in an hour / Awake: the vending machine just got restocked with new flavors","Sleeping: the production server has been down for 3 hours / Awake: someone posted the office holiday party photos","Sleeping: the quarterly report I haven't started / Awake: a debate about the best fast food chain in the team chat"]},{"category":"School & Education","examples":["Sleeping: the final exam worth 40% of my grade / Awake: my phone buzzed with a meme in the group chat","Sleeping: the scholarship application deadline tonight / Awake: a new season of my show just dropped","Sleeping: the professor explaining the material that will definitely be on the test / Awake: someone in the back row unwrapping a candy bar","Sleeping: my GPA dropping below a 3.0 / Awake: finding out which dining hall has pizza tonight","Sleeping: the 10-page paper due in 6 hours / Awake: reorganizing my entire Spotify playlist at 2am"]},{"category":"Health & Fitness","examples":["Sleeping: my doctor saying I need to eat better / Awake: a new fast food item just dropped","Sleeping: the gym membership I've been paying for since January / Awake: a BOGO deal at Chipotle","Sleeping: the 8 glasses of water I'm supposed to drink daily / Awake: the coffee shop released a new seasonal drink","Sleeping: getting my recommended 8 hours of sleep / Awake: a random Wikipedia rabbit hole at 3am","Sleeping: my dentist saying I need to floss every day / Awake: a new flavor of ice cream at the store","Sleeping: the 10,000 steps my watch keeps begging me to take / Awake: someone said there's cake in the kitchen"]},{"category":"Money & Finance","examples":["Sleeping: my credit card bill that's been growing for 3 months / Awake: a 15% off coupon for something I don't need","Sleeping: my rent is due in 2 days and I haven't checked my balance / Awake: a limited edition sneaker drop at midnight","Sleeping: my retirement account that I haven't contributed to in a year / Awake: a flash sale on gaming peripherals","Sleeping: the student loans entering repayment / Awake: concert tickets just went on presale","Sleeping: my car registration expired 3 weeks ago / Awake: a new phone color was announced","Sleeping: the overdue electric bill with the warning letter / Awake: a mystery box deal from my favorite brand"]},{"category":"Relationships & Social","examples":["Sleeping: my friend's birthday I forgot about yesterday / Awake: a celebrity just posted a cryptic tweet","Sleeping: the text from my mom I haven't replied to in 4 days / Awake: a stranger roasting someone in a Reddit thread","Sleeping: my partner asking to have a serious conversation / Awake: finding out who unfollowed me on Instagram","Sleeping: the voicemail from my dad that's been sitting there for a week / Awake: a 45-minute video essay about a show I've never watched","Sleeping: RSVP-ing to my best friend's wedding / Awake: a heated debate about whether a hot dog is a sandwich"]},{"category":"Technology & Internet","examples":["Sleeping: the critical security update my laptop has been begging me to install for 2 months / Awake: a new phone wallpaper pack just dropped","Sleeping: backing up my files before my hard drive dies / Awake: customizing my desktop icons for the 30th time","Sleeping: the terms of service I agreed to without reading / Awake: someone rated my favorite app 1 star and I need to read why","Sleeping: clearing 47,000 unread emails / Awake: a new emoji update is available","Sleeping: the phishing email I should probably report / Awake: an online argument between two strangers I'll never meet","Sleeping: my cloud storage being 98% full / Awake: a tier list video ranking every Mario Kart track"]},{"category":"Daily Life & Adulting","examples":["Sleeping: the laundry pile that's been growing for 2 weeks / Awake: a YouTube notification from my favorite channel","Sleeping: the expired milk I keep seeing every time I open the fridge / Awake: my neighbor got a new car and I need to look at it from every window","Sleeping: the check engine light that's been on since November / Awake: the next episode auto-playing at 1am","Sleeping: the dishes stacking up in the sink / Awake: a new true crime podcast episode just dropped","Sleeping: my apartment lease renewal I need to sign this week / Awake: finding out what my Hogwarts house is for the 12th time","Sleeping: the smoke detector that's been chirping for 3 days / Awake: a 2-hour breakdown of a movie I'll never watch"]}]}}