Shaquille O’Neal Reveals What He Said to Taylor Swift When They Met at the Super Bowl (Exclusive)

Shaquille O’Neal was ready for it when he met Taylor Swift at the 2024 Super Bowl.

After O’Neal, 52, decided to meet up with 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 also her dad,” says O’Neal. “I know what celebrities go through, so my meeting was very short,” he explains.

The Within the NBA The host says he didn’t want to take up too much of Swift’s time since she was there to cheer on her boyfriend Travis Kelce, so he kept the meeting quick.

O’Neal says he greeted Swift with a simple “Hi,” and shook her hand, before “taking a picture for my kids to show them,” and telling the “Karma” singer, “I love you,” before they left each in his own way.

“I don’t want to be the one who’s like la la la la,” he says, mimicking the 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 told PEOPLE, “I think I play one of those.”

Shaquille O’Neal, Taylor Swift and Jamie Salter.

Shaquille O’Neal/Instagram

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 hands with greatness” during an interview with Page six. “If I see Taylor Swift and I get to shake her hand, take a picture, I’ll be good,” he told the publication at the Shaq’s Fun House Super Bowl party. “She is an amazing person. I’m happy for her. I’m proud of her. She did a lot. She is definitely a cultural icon.”

When he posted the photo on his Instagram, O’Neal said he and Jamie Salter gifted an NFL-themed Swift bag to Judith Leiber.

In November, O’Neal spoke to PEOPLE about Swift and Kelce’s relationship, saying they “look good together” and wishing them “nothing but the best” as they continue 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

Celebrities who look tiny stand next to Shaquille O’Neal — including Taylor Swift, Maren Morris, Justin Bieber and more

This month, the NBA legend will continue to share good advice through his partnership with Home Depot as the company announces three-year partnerships 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. Starting March 17th, an extensive collection of project guides, step-by-step videos, and “Shaq Tool Tips” will be available on their website.

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“It pairs the basketball terminology that I’m used to talking with spring products at Home Depot, including topics like mounting brackets and cleaning glass and things like that,” O’Neal says. “So we shot a few commercials and what I like about the commercials is that we use real people from Home Depot, which was fun.”

And O’Neal says he’s pretty handy around the house when it comes to renovations. “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, and I did a lot of things myself,” he shares. “I’ve been a customer of Home Depot for a long, long, long, long time and I’m excited to help Home Depot revive their sponsorship of the NCAA’s March Madness.”

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Source: HIS Education