“I do what I do. Always,” said Shaquille O’Neal once. And the same seven-footer has kept the attitude towards naming his own monikers. From “Diesel” to “Superman,” “Big Aristotle” to “Shaq-a-Claus,” the Hall of Famer has worn his aliases like badges of honor. But while fans worldwide know him by his countless monikers, it turns out Shaq keeps a special set of nicknames reserved for his closest circle: his kids.

In a recent interview with ClutchPoints, Shareef O’Neal was asked what the Los Angeles Lakers veteran calls him as at home. The 24-year-old didn’t just reveal his nickname but as a bonus shared his young brother Shaqir’s nickname too.

“It’s me and my little brother. We kind of have the same nickname, it’s just Reef Boogie and Qir Boogie, so that’s what he calls us. He says boogie whenever he wants to get one of us. He’s been saying that since we were kids. But we kind of just know which one he’s talking to at the same time,” said Shareef during the interview.

The 6’10” forward, despite going through health-related problems during his time at UCLA has shown progress and is now part of the Sacramento Kings G-League team, the Stockton Kings. On the other hand, Shaqir had his college debut match with the Florida A&M Rattlers earlier this month and is currently averaging 1.8 PPG and 1.5 RPG. Although not at the level of his father, Qir Boogie is still showing development.

Their father, who would have preferred the two not get into hooping due to the pressure and expectations, is here to ensure all the support they need. He lives by the lessons he had to learn as a kid, either through mistakes of his own or the discipline his father imbibed. Either way, he is a bit more relaxed, a boogie for a nickname would give that away. If not, Shareef had more to add.

“I just know that my dad is like, he can do whatever is in his house… he can do whatever he likes that’s a habit. He can go in his little area, have a water bottle throw it over here, throw it over there, and he’s like, ‘when I come back in this room it better be cleaned up’. He just like he can do whatever he wants but everyone else has to keep it real tidy,” said Shareef during the interview.

The hosts of the interview, however, had a different story. “He likes to hog the remote all the time and he’ll binge-watch animal documentaries,” said one of the hosts and Shareef acknowledged the fact to be true. In the end, Shaq may be a global superstar, but at home, he’s just a fun-loving dad and a family man who thrives on keeping things lighthearted and lively.

Shaquille O’Neal has a moniker for himself around his family

Now you know Shaq goes by many names for his on-court persona. But back home, especially during the holiday season, he becomes Shaq-a-Claus. As a father of 6 and having had humble beginnings himself, the LA Lakers icon reveals he loves to spoil his kids on Christmas. “Everything they want.com,” was his reply when asked what he would give his kids for the holidays during one of the interviews. So you would think Shaq-a-Claus would be one of Shareef’s favorite nicknames, but the 24-year-old leans otherway.

“Diesel, Superman, I like those,” added Shareef during the interview.

Now to understand why Shaquille O’Neal’s nicknaming tradition runs so deep, you need to start with his own. ‘Diesel,’ one of his most iconic nicknames, was born out of his relentless power and endurance during his prime NBA years. While paying for the Orlando Magic, the seven-footer, then a rapstar released a rap album called ‘Shaq Diesel,’ which went platinum. It can be speculated, that the moniker originated from there. Now, the Lakers veteran uses this as the alias of his EDM career that is ‘DJ Diesel’.

Then there’s ‘Superman,’ another alias deeply tied to his persona. A lifelong fan of the DC superhero, O’Neal has put Superman’s logo on his cars, 30-foot bed, and left bicep in tattoo form. He had even played the role of superman inspired hero in the movie ‘Steele’, which was released in 1997. It’s no surprise, then, that Shaq’s creativity in crafting nicknames has extended to his children.