“How in the World…?”: Fans Left Confused by Shaquille O’Neal After Random Sightings Generate Curiosity

When you least expect it, you could walk into a 7-foot-tall backboard-breaker. Some fans have been left more confused than amazed after a fleeting encounter with Shaquille O’Neal and are expressing it on social media. Being a multi-hyphenate with multiple philanthropic and creative pursuits, Shaq pops up in the most unexpected places. He’s usually indulgent of fans too. But the 4x NBA champ probably doesn’t know the effect he has during his unexpected appearances. DJ Diesel, who started his dubstep career roughly six years ago, has been deejaying in festivals and other events.

One fan who ran into him at a concert expressed how they never thought they’d see the Los Angeles Lakers legend there. “My nephew got to meet Shaquille O’Neal had a rave… why in the world is Shaquille O’Neal at a rave? lol.” Someone responded with their own Shaq encounter at a music festival, but jokingly added his skills at the turntables leave little to be desired. “Shaq’s been down for a long time now. I once saw him DJ a festival…He wasn’t that good. But I appreciate the fact he’s doing something he loves.”

The original poster shared evidence of the nephew who met Shaq and confirmed that they too recently discovered Shaq is a newly-minted DJ. Though he was a bona fide platinum-selling rapper, not many thought the retired NBA pro would turn to EDM.

“How in the world did his path go that way? I would never ever in my life put Shaquille O’Neal together with electronic music lol,” this fan summarized. Another fan in New Mexico who enjoyed the Shaq and Kobe era reveled in meeting DJ Diesel during an EDM event this weekend.

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There are similar stories of Shaq-sightings in the wild. Sometimes an elevator’s doors might open to reveal the Shaquille O’Neal on the other side.

How to spot Shaquille O’Neal 101

The probability of meeting Big Aristotle is higher if you avoid the stairs. Just ask Jimmy Aidoo.

The data scientist by day and blogger on the move encountered Shaq at an elevator by chance. He followed him to the parking lot to maybe get a picture with him but O’Neal had already left the premises. Aidoo cursed Shaq’s misfortune that he couldn’t experience his greatness firsthand.

“I feel so bad for him… he missed a golden opportunity to get to know me,” Aidoo bemoaned on X. The firefighters of Orange County were luckier.

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Big Diesel was present as they successfully did an elevator rescue and later took pictures with the heroes. Like these first responders, stay sharp. You never know when Shaquille O’Neal is around.