Shaquille O’Neal’s longevity in the music scene isn’t often recognized, but Shaq has been on top of the game since the mid-’90s. After originally starting as a platinum-selling rapper, Shaq’s music career has evolved, and he is now a world-famous DJ. Currently on tour as DJ Diesel, Shaq is making it his mission to give fans a good time, and his latest Instagram post shows just that.
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A video posted on his DJ Diesel account showed the big fella leaping over barricades to get into the fans’ section, and jumping in to dance with them as the beat dropped on his track. Now, if you’ve ever been to a concert, you know the pit is crowded enough as it is, without an additional 7-foot-1, 325-pound monster of a man jumping in with you.
The scenes were unforgettable, and the emotions on the fans’ faces make for some great viewing. At first, they couldn’t fathom Shaq getting into the pit with them. Excitement was the first emotion, followed by adrenaline, as the high-pumping song reached its crescendo. Unfortunately, there was one fan who probably would’ve been better off without Shaq in the pit, as she found herself stuck to the big man, with no hope of dislodging herself.
While the video was an instant hit with the fans, comments on the post couldn’t help but laugh at the poor girl’s predicament. One particular comment wrote, “Girl was fighting for her entire life there at the end.”
Shaq as DJ Diesel decided to entire a mosh pit pic.twitter.com/sDzWL2wwqb
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) April 19, 2025
We all know how much energy Shaq has, so his jumping into the mosh pit at his own concert is nothing new. He’s also promised fans all over the country that he will be doing the same at almost every show he goes to, as he captioned the video, “Y’all really thought I wasn’t coming into the pit?”
Shaq has been surprisingly open about a lot of things in his life, and his decision to lane change into DJ-ing has been one of them. After retiring from the NBA, Shaq (and many other ex-pros) end up feeling a sudden change in mood, because they can no longer replicate the adrenaline that playing their games gave them.
In Shaq’s case, he decided he wasn’t going to just sit at home and do nothing, so he made some major moves. He got a gig on Inside the NBA, which allowed him to stay close to the game that he loved. But the adrenaline factor was still missing, and that’s where DJ-ing came in.
In an exclusive interview with People Magazine last year, Shaq revealed that he needed something to keep him active after retirement, because he hung up his boots 2 years earlier than he had originally planned.
“I was lost because I had planned to retire two years after I retired. So I wasn’t really prepared,” he explained. He went on to say that the act of playing high-energy tracks to thousands in a crowd helped him replicate the atmosphere of championship games, and the adrenaline he got from that allowed him not to feel as left out.
“I started DJing because it gives me the same adrenaline boost that a championship game would give me.”
