Shaquille O’Neal has taken on a new venture, combining his passion for music with his love of supporting up-and-coming artists. His latest project, “WHOZFIRE,” is a 64-artist music tournament where Shaq, along with Kayo and his longtime friend, rapper Trae Tha Truth, judge independent artists. With a $30,000 prize on the line, impressive performances were only a given. But they weren’t what stole the show in the latest episode — it involved Shaq almost being left in tears.

On the show, Shaq shared that he and Trae are more than just friends—they’re like brothers. And with that brotherhood comes a tradition of gift-giving. Shaq admitted that every time they meet, Trae brings him something special. But this time, the gift hit different, even though Shaq warned Trae not to give gifts: “Trae, don’t give me no gifts, man.”

However, the gift left Shaq emotional.“You gonna make me cry, man, stop,” Shaq said in the podcast. The gift? A custom Bump Box, known for its deep bass, specially designed with four Superman logos, a nod to Shaq’s nickname. Even better? It hasn’t even hit the market yet. “Shaq got the first one.”

Shaquille O’Neal, overwhelmed by the gesture, wanted to return the favor. But Trae quickly shut him down. “Nah, man, you know it’s all love,” he said, leaving Shaq visibly emotional. Shaq then opened up about their decade-long tradition, saying, “10 years, man, you always, like, you know, you be like, where you at? I’m in Atlanta too. What’s your address? He’ll come to the house, you know, he’ll bring gifts and stuff.”

Interestingly, the two first met in the most unexpected place—a hookah bar. Shaq shared that while he had been a fan of Trae’s music for years, he didn’t even realize it was him when they first crossed paths. “So I was in a hookah bar one day, and Trae wrote a one, he said, I’m Trae the Truth. And before he gave it to me, I’m like, you Trae the Truth?”

From that moment on, they become brothers. So only right Trae gifts Shaq something fitting as he rises in his element post-NBA; all while ensuring to put his fans first.

Something in return for the ever-giving DJ Diesel

DJing was a means to escape feeling lost after retirement for Shaq. “It gives me the same adrenaline boost that a championship game would give me,” he revealed earlier this year. The passion would prompt him no need to charge extravagant even as he performed for thousands at Tomorrowland with his son Myles to make history and then some more at Lollapalooza. As an extension, DJ Diesel has no merch either.

“because I’m a guy like I like to have fun but I don’t like to really take advantage of people like that,” he told Mark Cuban on his podcast last week. Shaq also revealed that since he isn’t the top tier yet, he comparatively earns less for his gigs. But there’s no stopping the DJ Diesel.

He’s been touring the whole summer and has a month more left ahead. And if the many sold out shows weren’t enough to speak the love, DJ Diesel skins and game-changing accessories also made it to the fortnite universe last week. So as Shaq continues making his passion non-profit focused, Trae Tha Truth’s gift couldn’t have arrived better and special.