“When you’re being a DJ, it’s nonstop. When you’re playing basketball, it’s nonstop. I was definitely missing that,” said Shaquille O’Neal once. From dominating NBA courts to headlining global music festivals, Shaq’s larger-than-life persona has transcended sports. Long before spinning records at festivals, Shaq ventured into the music world as a rapper. But what sparked this fascinating transformation from Hall of Fame basketball player to crowd-pumping DJ?

In a recent episode of the Digital Social Hour Podcast, hosted by Sean Kelly, DJ Irie, who was the guest, shed light on why the seven-footer got into EDM production in the first place. According to Irie, Shaq’s venture into DJing isn’t a fleeting celebrity hobby, but a profound expression of his lifelong musical obsession.

“He’s doing festivals all over the world, like I mean, he’s legit. But the difference between Shaq and other quote-and-unquote celebrity DJs whatever, the guy freaking loves it. Obsessed with it. And he really and truly put in the work and he has the talent. So it was really cool to be there in the beginning and work with him. And being in the Heat, that opened up that talent,” said Irie during the podcast.

DJ Irie is best known for being the official DJ of the Miami Heat and a fixture in the global party circuit. So when Shaq moved to the franchise in 2004, he was quick to hop on the opportunity to give releasing music another try.

“I remember when Shaq first came to Miami, I’d known him before, we were cool and friendly but then when he came to Miami, one of the first things he did was pull me aside and goes ‘yo I want to start DJing’. I was like ‘What?’ he’s like ‘Yeah, let’s make some mixtapes together. I was like ‘alright, let’s get you DJing first,” added Irie about how Shaq started his DJing.

Years in, Shaq is now making waves in the current scene. He has played in many renowned music festivals like Tomorrowland, Lollapalooza, and Electric Forest and since his debut in 2015, has also collaborated with many renowned electronic artists like Steve Aoki, Diplo, DJ Carnage, Von Miller, etc.

In a world where reinvention often feels calculated, Shaquille O’Neal’s DJ Diesel persona stands out as a genuine expression of his identity. It’s a testament to the idea that no matter how accomplished one becomes, there’s always room to explore new passions. But the Los Angeles Lakers veteran has his own mantra that has helped him in his success in this field.

Shaq’s Non-financial Reason for DJ Success

Shaq first explored the music industry in the 1990s. His debut rap album, Shaq Diesel, released in 1993, went platinum and featured hits like “(I Know I Got) Skillz.” While his success in the field may be attributed to his wealth and popularity, they are not the core. It was a simple mantra that the seven-footer followed.

During his appearance on an episode of Robert Mitz’s ‘Creativo‘ podcast, O’Neal revealed that the reason behind his success in the music world was solely because he considered this as a fun activity, “Just you know, growing up in the hip-hop culture, music just moves me. All types of music. Hispanic music, Afro beats, white guy classics, I just love music. So you know, it’s not that I had an entrepreneurial mindset, I had a fun mindset. I like to have fun. I’m the ambassador of having fun,” said O’Neal during the podcast.

This fun mentality today helps the NBA veteran to earn $200,000 from each of his performances under the DJ Diesel alias. Though he admits that is lesser than what a few of his fellow DJs earn, Shaq is content with just getting to play for an audience.