Father of 6, Shaquille O’Neal’s Brief Taylor Swift Encounter Prioritized His Children

Swifties everywhere could cry in envy as Shaquille O’Neal got to live the dream – meeting Taylor Swift. The NBA legend’s dream came true when he and Swift were at the Super Bowl game in February. He didn’t keep that meeting of a lifetime a secret (Swifties can relate) but he didn’t reveal what they spoke about. The debacle with their combined nemesis, Kanye West, occupied most of our consciousness but now Shaq finally revealed what went down with Swift.

Unlike fans guessing they talked Yeezy, O’Neal said it was more wholesome than that. He kept it brief and didn’t take up much of her time. After exchanging greetings, he made sure, he “took a picture for my kids that I can show ’em.” Shaq’s kids definitely won’t doubt he met the popstar at Allegiant Stadium but a personal memorabilia is so cool! They shook hands and went their separate ways. Not as crazy as some fans speculated.

Ahead of the game, O’Neal gushed to reporters he would love to meet the “Bad Blood” songstress during Shaq’s Fun House. He said, “If I see Taylor Swift and get to shake her hand, take a picture, I’ll be good,” during his annual Super Bowl party. He did exactly as he said. Both platinum sellers were seated close to each other and crossed paths. O’Neal met her parents too and was cautious of not overstepping. Like Swift, he too wanted to spend more time cheering on Travis Kelce and the Chiefs. So he kept the meetup short.

Shaq started with a hello, shook her hand, got a picture, said “Love you,” and both went to their seats. Big Diesel said that encounter was short but, “she was very nice.” When he posted the proof of their encounter on Instagram, he also shared that he and his business partner at Authentic, Jamie Salter, gifted her an NFL-themed Judith Leiber bag. He also confirmed he met Ice Spice at the Super Bowl. As cute as this moment was, Shaq’s encounter (or lack thereof) overshadowed the meeting of the NBA legend and superstar.

Shaquille O’Neal’s other encounter at the Super Bowl

Rumors circulated that Swift had Kanye West removed from the box near her at the stadium. West denied the claims but apparently he didn’t go unnoticed by O’Neal. There is some bad blood between both and O’Neal later dissed him on Instagram for not hashing it out at the Super Bowl when they met.

READ MORE: Ex-Cavs Star Shaquille O’Neal Will Return to Cleveland on June 22, but Not as an NBA Legend

Shaq, Swift, and West were the subject of many rumors surrounding the Super Bowl. West had previously made disparaging comments on Salter. But he later said he respected O’Neal and Salter.

Shaq deleted his diss at West and didn’t exactly clarify how his supposed encounter with West went about. But his meeting with Swift is as sweet as we imagined.

READ MORE: Shaquille O’Neal: Women Basketball “More Dominating” Than Men in NCAA’s March Madness