SHAQUILLE O’Neal has carved a name for himself as a superstar DJ since retiring from the NBA.
Now the Los Angeles Lakers legend has revealed that his career change helped him cope with life outside of pro basketball.
Shaquille O’Neal has created a successful second career as a DJ[/caption]
The Los Angeles Lakers legend performs as DJ Diesel[/caption]
His next gig will be the Sports Illustrated LIV Golf Experience in Dallas on September 21[/caption]
O’Neal says mixing beats in front of wild crowds gave him the same rush as playing in an NBA Finals.
“I started DJing because it gives me the same adrenaline boost that a championship game would give me,” he told People.
The Hall of Famer added that DJing gave him something valuable and meaningful to do as he figured out his next moves in life.
“I was lost because I had planned to retire two years after I retired. So I wasn’t really prepared,” he added.
“I’ve been playing [basketball] since I was 14 years old and always had that step into the arena feeling of the game.
“I always had that hour and a half or so.
“And when I stopped playing, I didn’t have that.”
Shaq rediscovered his passion for music while attending a concert.
“I got the same feeling again. I was like, ‘You know what? I used to do this. Lemme see if I can pick it up again’,” he says.
“So yeah, it’s fun, but it only lasts an hour and a half.”
His next gig will be the Sports Illustrated LIV Golf Experience in Dallas on September 21 as DJ Diesel.
The 52-year-old, who is also a host on Inside The NBA, says it is important for him to keep busy.
“I know a lot of people in my position don’t have anything going on, they just wake up and are lost,” he says.
“So the fact that I’m working, it’s a blessing.
“So any job I can get, I’ll just continue to do because one day I’ll be in that position where I won’t be able to do it anymore.”
Shaq says working as a DJ saved him from being lost after he retired from the NBA[/caption]
O’Neal currently works for TNT Sports and NBA TV[/caption]
Shaq plans to keep performing or at least another “10, 20 years.”
“But if not, I had fun doing it and doing it my way,” he says.
Shaq’s career as an NBA broadcaster is in the air with TNT losing its league rights at the end of this coming season.
And he is poised to be highly sought-after, especially with Charles Barkley saying he will not join another network.
The New York Post wrote that ESPN “should consider bringing in O’Neal” to be part of NBA Countdown.
