Shaquille O’Neal is no stranger to lending a helping hand, especially when it comes to guiding his loved ones. From teaching Angel Reese the art of the free throw to mentoring a young Me’Arah O’Neal on her basketball endeavors, O’Neal has always been more than just a basketball legend – he’s a mentor who believes in tough love. The NBA Hall of Famer’s coaching style recently found a new subject closer to home: his own son, Myles O’Neal, who’s making waves in the DJ scene.

In a revealing episode of ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq,’ alongside guest 2 Chainz, O’Neal pulled back the curtain on his son’s journey into the world of DJing, exposing a startling gap in Myles’ fundamental knowledge.

“My oldest son [Myles] who’s a top DJ now, he came in one time and I was hard on him. So usually when I’m hard on them, they just step away. But he, he listened to me and I didn’t have to like. I feel good when I don’t have to make the call… Like I got this much knowledge so when I’m teaching, I’m giving you all the knowledge. Listen, what’s BPM? Get out. Get out, I told you this is 76 and this 77, the songs go together. So he got out and stayed with it and now on his own he’s one of the top DJs,” said O’Neal during the podcast.

Myles O’Neal, who started his career as a model, is now bridging the gaps between hip-hop, R&B, and many other genres of electronic music. The 27-year-old’s music journey started last year when he released his first single Superficial, featuring Hadar Adora which has over 400k+ streams on Spotify. However, Myles hit the EDM scene this year and has been making waves on the touring circuit.

Fresh off his recent event with his dad, Myles is headlining shows nationwide, while also on the road supporting some of the biggest names in electronic music including SIDEPIECE, Sickick, Chantal Jeffries, and NITTI. “I’ve seen him perform many times and he’s really good. I’m actually jealous, he’s really good,” said Shaq during a fundraising event.

Now coming to the seven-footer’s EDM career, the Los Angeles Lakers veteran great had been DJing from his LSU days. In the present day, he has become DJ Diesel and a festival circuit favorite playing at Tomorrowland, Lollapalooza, and Electric Forest. One of the few ‘basketball’ players to dwarf his attendance for his basketball games more than the number of crowds he draws for his high-energy sets of trap, dubstep, and bass music. The seven-footer has, since his debut in EDM in 2015, collaborated with many famous electronic artists, notably Steve Aoki, Diplo, DJ Carnage, Von Miller, etc.

As Myles continues to build his reputation in the music industry, this early lesson about BPM serves as a reminder that success often starts with mastering the basics, regardless of who your father might be. However, the Lakers icon had another music career stint long before his EDM one.

Shaq’s music stint in the 90’s

In the 1990s, Shaquille O’Neal became not only an NBA legend but also a rap star, in which he managed to get some recognition. Shaq was not a man who was shy on the court, and this carried over into rap, which made him known for his larger-than-life personality.

When he released his debut album in 1993, “Shaq Diesel,” his platinum release featured hip hop heavy hitters Fu Schnickens and other talented artists like Def Jef and Phife Dawg as guest appearances. The next follow-up albums “Shaq Fu Da Return” (1994), “You Can’t Stop the Reign” (1996), and “Respect” (1998) made it clear that he was more than a novelty act in his own right as a music artist. “I love rap and will always continue to,” said Shaq during an interview.

The only reason that can be speculated behind Shaq’s departure from the rap scene was the volatility of the market. It wasn’t sustainable. The seven-footer in his autobiography mentioned how some artists would even charge up to $200,000 for a feature. Tired of such exorbitant fees, Shaq decided to focus on his basketball career.

In the end, even though Shaq has been out of the hip-hop scene for years, his relations with the rappers seem to flourish as more artists like 2 Chainz come to his podcast, and with Myles on the rise, the father-son duo will definitely rock the headbanger community.