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.”
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.”
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.
