Shaquille O’Neal Blames Stephen Curry and Draymond Green for Tardiness as Fans Marinate in Heatwave

Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco is the most buzz-worthy event this month, thanks in part to a few NBA star sightings. One of the main attractions at Golden State Park is Shaquille O’Neal. He’s not a guest, attendee, introducer, or crasher. Superman amped up the atmosphere as ‘DJ Diesel,’ the platinum-selling rap artist and EDM extraordinaire. Though he did make attendees a little anxious there.

Shaq was late to his performance on the Twin Peaks stage. That’s bound to make the attendees of a sold-out event nervous. But he made it and to everyone’s surprise, deflected the blame to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.

Golden State Warriors stars take the fall for Shaquille O’Neal

The Twin Peaks set at Outside Lands was bursting with ‘Big Diesel’ energy as soon as Shaquille O’Neal descended. The DJ spun a setlist with iconic hits like Frou Frou’s ‘You’re Not Alone’ and Aqua’s ‘Barbie Girl’. He even went with the flow of stage crashers. One young kid got to sit on the giant’s shoulders through a performance.

One of the most anticipated acts of the festival, fans wanted to soak in every moment of O’Neal’s set. But they got a few minutes short of that because this artist was late for his own performance. With the bustling heat, one can’t blame the crowd for getting restless. However, two other DJs opened the afternoon set instead of O’Neal to keep the crowd going. Almost ten minutes in, DJ Diesel finally arrived.

Now it’s not uncommon for a star or two to get late to a performance. Fans still tend to worry or get upset, though. But after Shaq arrived and explained his tardiness, you couldn’t be mad at him anymore. “Sorry I’m late,” O’Neal was quick to apologize, as per SF Chronicle, and then swiftly blamed someone else. “I was chilling with Steph Curry and Draymond Green.”

WATCH THIS STORY | This 6-Inch Michael Jordan Item Sparks Frenzy With 75,000 Price Tag at the 2023 National

How do we get mad at that? Of course, Shaq is hanging out with two of the Golden State Warriors’ biggest stars, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. The entire venue was rife with sightings of Warriors pros. Fans were sporting Warriors jerseys, though a few were wearing Shaq’s numbers from other teams as well.

The 4x NBA champion catered to Warriors fans

Late, but as soon as he arrived, O’Neal was quick to placate Bay Area fans. “We got any Warriors fans in the house?” he yelled to the crowd.

O’Neal does have an affinity for Warriors players. He is making his love for Stephen Curry a public event these days. Several Warriors players filled the VIP areas, watching Shaq do his thing. But Curry wasn’t the one crashing his stage.

The crowd-pleaser that he is, O’Neal invited Warriors’ comeback kid, Gary Payton II, on stage towards the end of his set. And he called his longtime teammate’s son a “real” Warrior. But he made a bold prediction for Curry, Payton, Green, and all of the Warriors nation by playing Queen’s iconic We are the champions’.

READ MORE: Relishing Family Time, Shaquille O’Neal’s Ex-Wife Shaunie Shares Snippet of LA Night With Kids

What are your thoughts on Shaq blaming Curry and Green for showing up late? Let us know in the comments below.