The NBA legend tells PEOPLE he also met the singer’s parents, Andrea and Scott Swift, in Las Vegas
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Shaquille O’Neal, Taylor Swift
Shaquille O’Neal was ready for it when he met Taylor Swift at 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 they met 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.
The Inside the NBA host 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/Instagram
Shaquille O’Neal, Taylor Swift and Jamie Salter
Related: Shaquille O’Neal Shares Dating Advice for Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce amid Their Public Romance (Exclusive)
Before their meeting in February, O’Neal said he wanted to meet the pop superstar and “shake the hand of greatness” during an interview with Page 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 on his Instagram, O’Neal said 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.”
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Shaquille O’Neal, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
Related: Celebrities Looking Tiny Standing Next to Shaquille O’Neal — Including Taylor Swift, Maren Morris, Justin Bieber and More
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.
“This project is very, very fun and very cute. It’s called Tips from the Tool Shaq,” O’Neal explains of the content series with Home Depot in celebration of March Madness. Launching March 17, an extensive collection of project guides, step-by-step videos and “Tips from the Tool Shaq” will be available on their website.
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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.”
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