Shaquille O’Neal has had a complicated history with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, in the past. To date, it is unclear what equation these stars share. Nonetheless, both are celebrated figures in the music world. While Ye needs no introduction given his hip-hop mogul status, O’Neal, aka DJ Diesel, despite essentially being a legend in the sports world, has dabbled in music throughout his storied NBA career.

Even though Ye and Shaquille O’Neal seem to be giving each other the cold shoulder lately, the DJ recently opened up about that one iconic performance of his that was inspired by none other than the ‘Donda’ rapper.

Shaquille O’Neal recently appeared on Complex’s GOAT Talk segment with his son Myles O'Neal. During their chat, his son asked the NBA star about the “GOAT set” he had performed. The 52-year-old mentioned his 2019 Lollapalooza performance. At the festival, O’Neal performed his set with Ye’s ‘Jesus Walks’ alongside a holy character actor, Brian. However, this performance was not planned. Brian’s Jesus outfit was reportedly bought from “a kid with a Jesus outfit” at the festival for $500.

The plan worked, since Chicago, Ye, and Jesus- it all came together. The crowd also responded in the best manner as they started spraying water bottles, making it look like a baptismal shower. The highlight of the set, however, was when O’Neal jumped off the stage to mingle with the 115,000-strong crowd at Lollapalooza. This Ye-inspired performance came just two years before their brief public spat. 

‘Worry about your own business’ – Shaquille O’Neal Lashed Back at Kanye West Over Anti Semitism Row

Both Shaquille O’Neal and Ye went through a public back-and-forth, for seemingly no concrete reason.

Back in 2022, Shaquille O'Neal talked about Kyrie Irving’s controversy over promoting a film seen as antisemitic on TNT's Inside the NBA. Ye, who was also facing similar accusations at the time, took it personally and fired back at O'Neal’s business dealings with Jamie Salter. But O’Neal kept his response classy. He told PEOPLE that he chose not to say everything he wanted to because of his commitment to keeping his mother happy.

Even earlier this year, Ye made a now-deleted Instagram post where he praised Dov Charney, the founder of American Apparel. The NBA legend did not seem to bother about the post and brushed it off, saying, "Who cares stop bit**in and snitchin", while calling him out after their apparent encounter at the Super Bowl. In reply, Ye expressed a desire to “hang out” with him, probably hoping to put an end to their online squabble. Whether or not things are smooth between the two, however, is something that is still up in the air. 

‘Worry about your own business’ – Shaquille O’Neal Lashed Back at Kanye West Over Anti Semitism Row

What do you think about Shaquille O’Neal’s interview? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!