“Don’t Wanna Play Dubstep”: Shaquille O’Neal’s Son Myles Decided On His Career While On the Road With His Father

The legacy of Shaquille O’Neal is being carried on by his children. While some of his kids, like Shareef O’Neal, are trying to pursue basketball, Myles O’Neal is instead opting to enter the entertainment arena. Like his dad, the 28-year-old fell in love with music and has found tremendous success as a DJ and producer.

Myles has been a longtime resident at Wynn Las Vegas and has crushed sets at huge festivals like EDC Las Vegas, Lollapalooza, and Tomorrowland. But how did Myles officially make his entry into the industry?

Alongside his NBA Hall of Fame father, of course. Myles recalled the exact moment he decided to pursue music as a career during an interview on the Cheat Codes program.

Shaq had shown his passion for music long before he won his first championship. He released his debut rap album in 1993 and had collaborations with industry icons like Biggie Smalls and Jay-Z over the years.

O’Neal has also been tearing it up as a DJ, where he performs under the moniker ‘DJ Diesel’. In 2023, he released his first EDM album titled Gorilla Warfare. Myles joined him on the tour, “helping out”, a few years prior to that.

“I got into it pre-COVID when my dad started doing Diesel Heavy,” he began. “I went on the road with them and was kind of just helping out where I could. That turned into me learning how to play.” 

Myles later admitted that when he was first invited to collaborate, he was hesitant because he wasn’t interested in their genre.

“Everybody else on the team were kind of like, ‘Yo, you kind of have an ear’. I was like I don’t wanna play Dubstep. That’s not like my vibe,” recalled Myles.  “They were like, ‘You don’t have to play Dubstep’.”

Even while recalling the story, Myles let out a sigh, excited that he could instead put his focus on the genre of music that he preferred. He has put a focus on tech-house music, but has also dabbled in R&B and Hip-Hop.

The popular artist did tour with his father, where the dynamic duo formed the group known as ‘The O’Neal Boyz’ back in the summer of 2024. This marked the first time ever that a father and son performed as a DJ duo. “We’re making history,” said Myles during an interview with DJ Mag at the time.

Shaq is one of a kind. He has two separate Master’s Degrees, a doctorate, is pursuing a degree in sports psychology, and has a music and television career. He is also hailed as one of the greatest basketball players ever.

You’d think he’d eventually get tired. But that isn’t The Diesel’s way, and the same can now be said for his kids. It just goes to show you that hard work and determination pay off.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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