Shaquille O’Neal Hits the Miami Club Scene as DJ Diesel with Son

Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors Shaquille O’Neal is proving he’s not just a basketball legend — he’s a nightlife icon, too. On Monday, December 30, the 52-year-old NBA Hall of Famer brought his DJ Diesel persona to E11EVEN Miami for a late-night Winter Wonderland set. DJ Diesel aka Shaquille O’Neal Performs At E11EVEN Miami on December 31, 2024 in Miami, Florida. The NBA champ and his son, Myles, rocked the house with back-to-back DJ sets. DJ Diesel aka Shaquille O’Neal Performs At E11EVEN Miami on December 31, 2024 in Miami, Florida. The NBA champ and his son, Myles, rocked the house with back-to-back DJ sets. John Parra/Getty Images Arriving in a Rolls Royce at 2:30 AM, O’Neal took the stage at 3 AM, kicking things off with Rufus Du Sol’s “Innerbloom” and hyping the crowd with, “Put up your middle fingers, Miami!” His son Myles O’Neal kept the party going, taking over the decks at 4:30 AM. For Shaq, DJing is more than just a side hustle. “I started DJing because it gives me the same adrenaline boost that a championship game would give me,” he told People in August. Since adopting the DJ Diesel moniker in 2015, he’s played at major festivals like Lollapalooza and collaborated with big names like Steve Aoki and NGHTMRE. Fans can’t get enough of his high-energy sets, but for the retired athlete, it’s also about staying busy and inspired. He explained to the outlet that he spends his time “working hard and staying out of trouble,” adding, “One of my mottos is, ‘It could be worse.'” DJ Diesel aka Shaquille O’Neal Performs At E11EVEN Miami on December 31, 2024 in Miami, Florida. The NBA champ and his son, Myles, rocked the house with back-to-back DJ sets. DJ Diesel aka Shaquille O’Neal Performs At E11EVEN Miami on December 31, 2024 in Miami, Florida. The NBA champ and his son, Myles, rocked the house with back-to-back DJ sets. John Parra/Getty Images Shaq went on to say that he knows “a lot of people in my position don’t have anything going on, they just wake up and are lost. So the fact that I’m working, it’s a blessing.” As for Myles, 27, the self-proclaimed “Dubstep Dad couldn’t be more proud of his son carving out his own path in the entertainment world. “I’ve seen him perform many times and he’s really good,” Shaq told People last year. “I’m actually jealous, he’s really good.” He even recalls how it all started. “I remember when I just bought him his first DJ set. He’d be in a room, and I try to let my kids do everything on their own, so he’d come in, and I’d say, ‘Figure it out,’ and he’d come back with it figured out.” The four-time NBA champ shares Myles with his ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal, along with Shareef, 24, Amirah, 22, Shaqir, 21, and Me’arah, 18. Shaq also has a daughter, Taahirah, 28, from his relationship with Arnetta Yardbourgh.