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Shaquille O’Neal has done just about everything imaginable, both on the hardwood and in his personal life. He won four NBA titles, is the world’s tallest sheriff’s deputy, and has appeared in countless movies, TV shows, and commercials. The big man also raps, which appears to have gotten him into a feud over the past few days.

If you’re confused by that recent conflict with between Shaq and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers, then you’re not alone. Let’s take a look at this beef and try to break down the tale of the tape.

Damian Lillard’s dual passions

First and foremost, Damian Lillard is obviously a basketball player. The guard established himself as an exciting prospect at Weber State and was selected sixth overall by the Portland Trailblazers in the 2012 NBA draft. He didn’t waste any time adjusting to the pro game and finished his first season averaging 19 points and 6.5 assists per game; those numbers earned him the 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year title.

While Lillard’s stats have only increased from that rookie campaign, he also has another interest: rapping. He released his first single, “Soldier in the Game,” in 2015; his debut album The Letter O came out a year later. Since then, Lillard has dropped a third album, which included guest appearances from Lil Wayne and Jeremih.

Shaquille O’Neal’s rap career

During his playing career, Shaq also decided to try his hand at rapping. He first released Shaq Deisel in 1993, with three more albums coming out over the next five years. They all sold well, with Shaq Deisel going platinum, but there was never any danger that O’Neal would hang up his sneakers for a musical career.

He also made a few famous guest appearances, rapping in Michael Jackson’s “2 Bad” and featuring on Aaron Carter’s “That’s How I Beat Shaq.” More recently, O’Neal has begun producing electronic music and performing at music festivals.

Damian Lillard vs. Shaquille O’Neal

Earlier this fall, Lillard appeared on “The Joe Budden Podcast,” where he made some comments about Shaq’s rap career. “I’ve heard Shaq’s stuff,” the Portland Trailblazers guard said. “I think he was viewed as Shaq… People wasn’t looking at it like this is a real rapper. It was like, ‘This Shaq rapping.” Unsurprisingly, those comments made their way back to O’Neal.

In response, the NBA veteran dropped a diss track, comparing his championships to Lillard’s struggles making it out of the Western Conference. “Students always talk about they better than the professor,” the Los Angeles Lakers legend sung. “I’m an expensive Lamborghini/You’re a barely charged Tesla/Take your time to respond, there is no hurry/You’ll never beat Westbrook, never beat Steph Curry.”

Lillard clapped back with his own verse, riffing of Shaq’s “Deisel” nickname. “This a different era, you the past … said yourself that I’m a Tesla/No longer need diesel gas,” he rapped. “Kind of like the Cavs ain’t really need Diesel ass/And even Miami won that on the strength of Flash/You had a moment OG, you the pioneer, but I done reached the top at this point and the climate’s clear.”

All that’s good about the NBA

While this rap beef might have come out of left field, everything appears to be in good fun. Shaq, as far as we can tell, is an easygoing guy and Lillard seems to be relishing his chance to go toe-to-toe with the big man; he even acknowledged O’Neal’s place in NBA history in his verse.

If anything, the feud highlights one of the best things about the NBA: the players have, and proudly show off, their own unique personalities

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Senior Writer, Programmer

Joe Kozlowski

Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he’s a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie.

Growing up loving Shaquille O’Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he’s continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives.

As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He’s barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe’s big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level.

Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.