After embarking on a Hall of Fame career and retiring in 2011, Shaquille O’Neal pivoted to growing his investment portfolio and DJing. The Lakers icon found success in both, as his net worth shot up to $400 million and he earned gigs at some of the biggest music festivals in the world. While both ventures are presumably equally important to the retired center, he admitted that DJing is more gratifying.
Advertisement
In an interview with PeopleMagazine, O’Neal revealed what prompted the birth of DJ Diesel, his stage name, and why he was fond of it. The four-time NBA champion said,
“I started DJing because it gives me the same adrenaline boost that a championship game would give me. I’ve been playing 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.”
O’Neal added that he loves performing, whether out on the court or as a DJ. He revealed that he had visited a concert and felt energy similar to when he had competed for championships. That ignited a passion to DJ and entertain the crowd. He said that he intends to continue performing until the wheels fall off,
“Hopefully I can go another 10, 20 years [as a DJ]. But if not, I had fun doing it and doing it my way.”
His list of gigs as a DJ is pretty impressive. He has featured at EDC Las Vegas, Lost Lands, Lollapalooza, Electric Zoo, Forbidden Kingdom, and Beyond Wonderland. More recently, he made history along with his son Myles.
The duo formed a two-man group called the O’Neal Boyz and played a set in front of a sold-out crowd at the Tomorrowland Music Festival. They became the first father-son pair to perform together at the event.
O’Neal will play next at the Wynn Field Club in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 1st. He’ll then head to Miami to light up the LIV Nightclub at Miami Beach, Florida on September 7th, as per Bandsintown.com.
His career as a DJ has gone from strength to strength and he continues to book bigger gigs and play at massive music festivals. O’Neal’s success as DJ Diesel shouldn’t be surprising, considering he believes performing on stage is similar to competing for an NBA title. Given his otherworldly playoff displays, it’s easy to see why he is dominating the music scene.
