Shaquille O’Neal, Taylor Swift.Photo:Michael Tullberg/Getty; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Michael Tullberg/Getty; Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty
Shaquille O’Nealwas ready for it when he metTaylor Swiftat the 2024 Super Bowl.
After O’Neal, 52, set out to meet Swift, 34, during his trip to Las Vegas in February, the Los Angeles Lakers legend tells PEOPLE he knew to keep their conversation short and sweet when theymet at Allegiant Stadium.
“She was very nice. I met her mom and I met her dad also,” says O’Neal. “I know what celebrities go through, so my meeting was very short,” he explains.
TheInside the NBAhost says he didn’t want to take too much of Swift’s time, as she was there to cheer on her boyfriend,Travis Kelce, so he kept the meetup quick.
O’Neal says he greeted Swift with a simple “Hello,” and shook her hand, before he “took a picture for my kids that I can show ‘em,” and told the “Karma” singer, “Love you,” before they went their separate ways.
“I don’t want to be the one that’s like la la la la,” he says, mimicking sounds of excessive chatter, “and so it was very, very short,” says O’Neal. “But she was very nice.”
When asked if he ever plays Swift’s music in his sets as DJ Diesel, O’Neal tells PEOPLE, “I think I play one of them.”
Shaquille O’Neal, Taylor Swift and Jamie Salter.Shaquille O’Neal/Instagram
Shaquille O’Neal/Instagram
Before their meeting in February, O’Neal said he wanted to meet the pop superstar and “shake the hand of greatness” during an interview withPage Six. “If I see Taylor Swift and get to shake her hand, take a picture, I’ll be good,” he told the publication at Shaq’s Fun House Super Bowl party. “She’s a fabulous person. I’m happy for her. I’m proud of her. She’s done a lot. She’s definitely a cultural icon.”
When he posted the photo onhis Instagram,O’Nealsaid that he and Jamie Salter gifted Swift an NFL-themed Judith Leiber bag.
In November, O’Neal talked to PEOPLE about Swift and Kelce’s relationship, saying they “look good together,” and he wishes them “nothing but the best” as they continue to navigate their busy schedules. O’Neal said his best relationship advice for Swift and Kelce is to “keep it out of the public eye.”
Shaquille O’Neal, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.Kennedy Pollard/Getty Images; Gotham/GC Images
Kennedy Pollard/Getty Images; Gotham/GC Images
This month, the NBA legend will continue doling out good advice through his partnership with Home Depot as the company announces a three-year partnership with the NCAA, CBS Sports and TNT Sports.
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“It pairs the basketball terminology that I’m used to saying with the spring products at Home Depot, including topics like seeding the bracket and cleaning the glass and stuff like that,” says O’Neal. “So we shot a couple commercials and what I like about the commercials is we use real people from Home Depot, which was fun.”
And O’Neal says he’s fairly handy around the house when it comes to renovation. “This is my first time not being a spoiled brat in a private community, so a lot of my house really had to be fixed up, and I did a lot of that stuff myself,” he shares. “I’ve been a Home Depot customer for a long, long, long, long time, and I’m excited to help Home Depot bring their sponsorship of the NCAA’s March Madness to life.”
source: people.com
