Shaquille O’Neal, aka DJ Diesel, might have received the biggest compliment in his music career. Shaq’s stint as a DJ Mogul has been appreciated by many celebrities across various industries, even by a few music sensations. However, a shout-out from NBA stars must make the Los Angeles Lakers legend feel like he is on cloud nine. Well, a few veterans from the Phoenix Suns had high praise for Big Diesel, including 26-year-old star Devin Booker. Seems like the tempo between Shaq and Booker is slowly increasing. 

Remember the apology Shaq gave to Booker during the playoffs last season? Let’s take a deeper look. 

The respect between Devin Booker and Shaquille O’Neal

The Phoenix Suns had an interesting media day with a few of their stars which included Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, and Jusuf Nurkic. The veterans were questioned, “If you had to go on a road trip with one of the ‘Inside the NBA’ guys, who are you picking to go with?”

Booker instantly went into denial as he had to choose one of the four most favorite television stars. However, he did not hesitate to choose the Lakers icon Shaquille O’Neal. Anyhow, the reason behind his choice is quite interesting. 

Booker shared, “Shaq got the DJing down and he’s bringing the crowd out. I’ve been to a Shaq DJ set, I loved it”. Well, that’s some heavy praise from the shooting guard. The answer from Beal and Nurkic was the same as well. 

Beal shared, “I’m going Big Shaq because I know Shaq got the music… You need good music to make a trip last and survive. He’s been around the world, he got to show me some things.” At the same time, Nurkic kept it simple, “I gotta go with Shaq man That’s my guy”. 

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Coming back to the apology from Shaq to Booker, why did Big Diesel apologize? 

Shaquille O’Neal’s big apology in the 2023 playoffs

Though the Suns had a second-round exit in the 2023 season, Booker was a different breed in the playoffs. His first round against the Clippers was a pretty easy walkthrough, but the series against the Denver Nuggets was competitive. 

Read more: After Throwing Stephen Curry Under the Bus, Shaquille O’Neal Brings His Penniless Venture to Bay Area Once Again

Booker went 20-25 in a game against the Nuggets. Shaq loved the stats but shared on live TV that the Suns star cannot maintain the efficiency. Well, the very next game, Booker went 14-18 to get an apology from Shaq. The 51-year-old shared, “Devin Booker: I’m sorry, I owe you an apology, I got on TV and said you would not go 20-for-25 again, you messed around and went 14-for-18.”

Considering Booker’s love for Shaq’s music, the mutual respect between the two might have increased. What’s your take on this?