THE SUMMER OF SHAQ!
Shaquille O’Neal is making his return to town, and it has nothing to do with basketball. Instead, the former Celtic is assuming his alter-ego, DJ Diesel, as he takes on a local venue this week.
With his days on the court far behind him, Shaq is slated to rock the Seaport on Thursday night. The ex-NBA star, who will be coming to Boston fresh off a planned Lollapalooza after-party, is expected to take over the DJ booth at The Grand as part of his Summer of Shaq tour.
It might be hard to picture this man-mountain as anything but a basketball player — or, for that matter, a spokesman who pitches products that promise to help aging athletic types. But Shaq has actually been doing this DJ thing for a few years now, playing everywhere from Las Vegas to China.
Shaq especially attracted attention as a DJ this past spring, when he and Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski engaged in a danceoff down in Miami. O’Neal was performing in the city as part of its annual EDM blowout, the Ultra Music Festival.
During the weeklong rager, he threw a carnival-themed party, which he dubbed Shaq’s Fun House, at the Toe Jam Backlot, where he wowed thousands of guests with sets from some of his DJ friends like Diplo and Steve Aoki, as well as his own music material.
And that’s when he and Gronk took to the dance floor to prove their moves were best.
While Shaq’s upcoming Seaport performance will clearly bring him right into Gronk territory, we’re not sure if a reunion is in store. As Patriots fans know, the NFL player is in the trenches of training camp, so hitting up a club on a weeknight might be offlimits.