When Shaquille O’Neal stepped away from the game, he instantly signed a role as an analyst. Former NBA players turning to studio analysts is not new. In fact, starting next season, Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, and others will begin their new role. But Diesel’s endorsement of a recently retired NBA star is not for the broadcasting industry. It’s for an industry where Shaq tried his chops right in his rookie year. The player who is receiving the Lakers legend endorsement is 10-year veteran Meyers Leonard.

The former Portland Trail Blazers big man wanted to keep going, but after years of struggles, he’s finally decided to hang up his basketball sneakers. To announce his retirement, the 33-year-old also spoke about his next pursuit, which is the music industry. “Former NBA player Meyers Leonard recently dropped his first country song ‼️ Let us know your thoughts ⬇️,” was the caption from the Instagram page Country Hub. Shaquille O’Neal shared the post from the page, which has over 1.2 million followers.

The second slide from the post had the retirement message that Leonard shared. “This past weekend is a weekend that I will never forget. More than 50 of our closest friends and family came to Nashville to celebrate four things – A baby shower for my beautiful wife, my birthday, my retirement from the NBA, and the start of me taking the leap into country music.” He bid farewell to the game with an original country song titled “Good in Goodbye.”

Leonard, whose net worth currently stands at $10.6 million, is ready for life after basketball. He even commented on the post that Shaquille O’Neal had shared. “Thank you for sharing! I’ve got a long way to go, but I’m learning and working hard every day! Plenty more music to come 🙏🏼.” Stepping away from hardwood and the instant gratification of fans is not easy. That is why even Shaq pursued another career after retirement.

Shaquille O’Neal and Meyers Leonard’s paths are different, yet the same

In his rookie year, apart from balling out on the court, the Big Aristotle also made waves in the music industry. His debut album, Shaq Diesel, sold over a million copies, making him the only professional athlete ever to go platinum. When he retired, his off-court ventures with commercial, analyst gig with TNT, it still wasn’t enough. “I started DJing because it gives me the same adrenaline boost that a championship game would give me,” said Shaquille O’Neal.

This year, DJ Diesel achieved an enormous feat in his DJing career. So, Shaq sharing the post could mean he hopes for similar success for the former Blazers star. Even Leonard is ready with his project, and it’s not just a few songs that he is ready to serve you with.

“No, I didn’t just write one song and stop writing country music. We’ve got about 20 songs written, 7 fully done in the studio, and I plan to keep on chugging along. I will likely release one song every month or so until the end of the year, and then I will be dropping an album early next year. I love you all, and here’s to another wild journey! 🤠🔨.” The former Illini star has plans not just with singles but with an album to keep you all hooked.