“I Know Him As A Kid..Sad Thing”: One Year After Heartbreaking Tragedy, Shaquille O’Neal Extends Empathy To Backstreet Boys Star

Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal carries an inclination for music as much as he does for basketball. Ever since his NBA days, DJ Diesel has been making his mark as an aspiring artist, performing as a DJ in various music concerts and releasing many albums in the process.

Back in the 2000s, Shaq became a part of an up-and-comer’s musical stint. A year after his unfortunate demise, the former player opens up about the star in an interview.

Shaquille O’Neal reflects on the late Aaron Carter

A few days ago, Shaq sat down for an interview with Yahoo Entertainment. He was invited to speak about his latest album, Gorilla Warfare, and his association with music post retirement.

During a particular segment, the interviewer switched discussion to Aaron Carter, a 34-year-old pop singer who passed away back in November 2022. She highlighted a song that he and Shaq performed together. Afterwards, the interviewer asked the 51-year-old whether he stayed in touch with Carter.

Shaq kicked his answer off by stating, “he actually started at my house”. The former player talked about how Carter and the Backstreet Boys used to have a studio in his house, which Shaq didn’t charge for.

When Carter approached Shaq to do a music video with him, the former player described how the “video went viral before viral was even mentioned”.

“I would see him every now and then, but no, we did stay in touch,” said Shaq during the interview.

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The Lakers legend recalled the moment he heard of the young artist’s passing.

“When I heard the news, I was definitely sad because I know him when he was a kid. His family, they’ve always been nice to me and his brother was definitely. Uh…you know, a sad thing,” Shaq added at the end of his answer.

Shaq starred in Aaron Carter’s hit single back in the 2000s

In 2000, a then 13-year-old Aaron Carter released his second album. Titled as ‘Aaron’s Party (Come Get It)’ it featured multiple tracks by the young prodigy. One of the songs that caught the eyes of NBA enthusiasts and the general population was titled “That’s How I Beat Shaq”.

The music video of the song highlighted the teen playing a one-on-one game against a young Shaq. By distracting the latter multiple times, Carter kept scoring points and getting the better of the NBA star. The memorable scene, however, turned out to be a dream at the end of the video.

During an interview with E! News, Shaq revealed that the song was inspired by a moment when he and the young teen played a game of HORSE.

“We had a HORSE game one day and he beat me” said Shaq. “Then he came back and said, ‘I want to do a song’ and I said, ‘Sure’. He asked me to be in the video and I said, ‘Sure’”.

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The world mourned as Aaron Carter breathed his last. People like Shaquille O’Neal, however, ensure that the cherished memories of the artist continue to live on with the passage of time.