Shaquille O’Neal made a name for himself as a superstar basketball player and a behemoth of a man, but early in his professional career, Shaq tried to make a name for himself in another genre — rapping. The Hall of Famer has released five studio albums and a compilation album throughout his so-called music career. But it was his debut album, “Shaq Diesel,” that really caught the eye of the public.
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“Shaq Diesel” was notably certified platinum under the RIAA, but that doesn’t mean everyone enjoyed what they were listening to. Comedian Ali Siddiq explained how O’Neal’s debut album should have cost the former MVP $1,000 from a bet the two made following its release, but the big man still refuses to pay up.
Siddiq explained the situation to Shannon Sharpe during his appearance on Club Shay Shay. The longtime comedian shared that the two often got their hair cut at the same salon, which happened to be right across the street from Siddiq’s comedy club, Just Joking. When Shaq was hyping up his upcoming album, Siddiq made his doubts about the quality known.
“Shaq come in there, the Diesel come there, and he’s talking about his album. And I said, ‘Your album ain’t gonna be good.’ He was like, ‘I bet you get my album. You going to like every song on there,'” Siddiq recalled before Sharpe asked him how many tracks he ended up liking. “Two. Two,” he said disappointedly.
Siddiq didn’t even remember how many songs the album featured, only that two of them were worth listening to. “I come right back and I’m waiting on it. I say, ‘Shaq, two songs.'”
“‘You lying!'” Siddiq imitated Shaq’s response. “Two songs I like, that’s it. Where’s my money? Still to this day, every time I run into him, I just look at him.”
While $1,000 isn’t too much sweat off Siddiq’s back, Shaq has been known not to pay out on much bigger wagers than this. The 53-year-old has become notorious for not paying his bets, even to his fellow NBA players.
Shaq trolled Jamal Crawford after losing a bet
After losing a bet he and Jamal Crawford had on a matchup between the Suns and Nuggets last year, the former big man decided to pay his debts live on Inside the NBA. The former Sixth Man of the Year sported a wide grin on his face as Shaq passed over the stack of bills, only to be filled with disappointment seconds later.
Rather than present Crawford with authentic United States currency, he plastered his face on hundreds of phoney bills, calling them “Shaq Bucks.” Crawford didn’t appreciate the prank, throwing the stacks back at O’Neal in anger, but everyone else on the set seemed to get a kick out of Shaq’s antics.
“Listen to the fine print. I said a million dollars. I said a million dollars, not a million real dollars,” Shaq teased. At this point, there should be enough tape on record to dissuade anyone from making bets with The Diesel from here on out.
