Basketball

Shaquille O’Neal, who has sold 1.5 Million albums, revealed how he landed a 3-album, $10 million deal

Nithin Joseph
|PublishedNov 21, 2022

Shaquille O'Neal, Who Has Sold 1.5 Million Albums, Revealed How he Landed a 3-album, $10 Million Deal

Credits: USA TODAY SPORTS

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the greatest players in NBA history. The big man was a dominant force who ran through his opponents.

However, the court wasn’t the only thing he dominated. The man has found success as a businessman and as a musician.

Speaking of music, Shaq started as a rapper before becoming a DJ. Although, he did bag his first $10 million three-album deal unexpectedly.

Also Read: Shaquille O’Neal, Who Once Offered Shaqir $5,000 for Scoring 25 Points, Trains him in the Most Shaq Way Possible

Shaquille O’Neal bagged a huge $10 million three-album deal just by rapping with his favorite rap band

Before drawing the role of DJ Diesel, Shaq found his place in the music industry as a rapper. A pretty good one at that. However, he landed his first album by chance.

Shaq revealed on Hot Ones that he got his first three-album deal by rapping on the Arsenio Hall Show. A deal that was worth a massive $10 million!

“I never wanted an album deal. Arsenio Hall asked me to come on the show and I was introducing the world to Shaquille O’Neal. I was like, ‘You know I don’t want to come on your show and just be in the suit, flashing money and talking about what I’m going to do. I wanna be different. So I’ll do your interview, but afterward, you’ve got to let me rap with my favorite rap group.’ So for me, it was a dream just to rap with my favorite rap group. So after that the next day people called me and said, ‘Hey we wanna give you a three-album deal. $10 million.’ I’m never gonna turn that down.”

A huge deal for the Big Aristotle to say the least. One that propelled him into the limelight and cemented his place as an iconic part of pop culture.

Shaq doesn’t DJ for the money, but because it reminds him of a Game 7 in the NBA Finals

A lot of people believe that Shaq dawns the persona of DJ Diesel for the money. Truth be told, the bid fella receives little to nothing for the sets he performs. Why? Because he does it out of passion.

O’Neal has described DJing on numerous occasions such as Game 7 in the NBA Finals, where he sees fans enjoying themselves and getting immersed in the experience.

Talk about love for your work. Shaq truly is one of the greatest, both as a former NBA superstar and as a human being.

Also Read: “You Only Win because Shaquille O’Neal is your Teammate”: Kobe Bryant Once Revealed What Fueled his 5 NBA Championship run

Shaquille O'Neal

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.