“Well, I’ve shot 15 movies. I always tell my friends that,” Shaquille O’Neal said in a 2018 Inquirer interview, “but they (friends) say, ‘Yeah, if you play Shaq in nine of them, that’s not really acting.’” Even he had to laugh at the jab, but now, the joke’s on…err! The NBA legend is officially getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’ll join the Class of 2026 alongside Emily Blunt, Timothée Chalamet, Demi Moore, and Gordon Ramsay—cementing his place not just in sports and business, but also in pop culture, opening the gates for congratulations, including Draymond Green!

Shaquille O’Neal is the only person from the Class of 2026 who is earning a star in the category of ‘Sports Entertainment’, given by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. Since the category was introduced in 2023, only 3 people, aka fewer than 1%, have been awarded a star under it. Former professional football player and television host Michael Strahan was the first one to receive it back in 2023, followed by the late actor and gridiron football player Carl Weathers, and Tennis legend Billie Jean King.

The news quickly spread across social media, with athletes and celebrities chiming in. The Golden State Warriors star recently took to his official Instagram to share a story with his 4.1 million followers. The same featured a post by Shaq that confirmed he is getting a star on the Walk of Fame. Green wrote a caption on top of the post, that read “Insane Diesel!!! Wow”.

The ‘Sports Entertainment’ category was added to acknowledge the contributions of certain athletes to the entertainment industry. Shaquille O’Neal has certainly done his part in that. From minor roles in movies like Grown Ups 2 and Hubie Halloween, playing himself in movies like Scary Movie 4 and What Men Want, to lead roles in Blue Chips and Kazaam, Shaq has done it all.

On top of that, the 4x NBA champion also served as the executive producer on the 2021 documentary ‘The Queen of Basketball’, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject back in 2022. On top of that, who can forget the 5 studio albums Shaq released over the last 3 decades, and his continuing work as ‘DJ Diesel’?

Draymond Green got to experience firsthand another of Shaq’s major contributions to the entertainment industry. After all, Green often joined in as a guest host on TNT’s ‘Inside the NBA’ show, which Shaq, along with Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson Jr, made a memorable watch for a decade and a half. From crucial NBA analysis to the hosts playing pranks on each other, the show became a must-watch for NBA fans even if they would be fine missing a few minutes of the actual game. Therefore, Green would have certainly kicked himself if he hadn’t sent a congratulatory message.

Fortunately, Shaq’s work in the entertainment industry is not over. The same was seen only recently as he got himself involved in one of the biggest projects of 2025.

Shaquille O’Neal starred in a hilarious promo for ‘Superman’ alongside James Gunn and David Corenswet

If there was one nickname of Shaquille O’Neal that became most associated with him during his time on the NBA court, it was that of ‘Superman’. He gave himself the nickname due to his physical prowess and jumping capabilities. At his retirement press conference in Orlando, Shaq passed out shirts that read, “The Real Superman,” an obvious dig at Dwight Howard. He had a custom 14-ft Chopper Bike made with the ‘Superman’ emblem in front. Given the love he held, there was no way he was going to stay away from James Gunn’s upcoming project.

Back in February, Shaq appeared in a promo for the new ‘Superman’ movie. It began with the ‘Big Aristotle’ eyeing the costume, and commenting “This, too small. Boots will never fit, and the belt, not that thin anymore. I thought I sent them my sizes”. Yes, he thought the suit was for him. Then came David Corenswet, the actor portraying Clark Kent/Superman, and James Gunn, the movie’s director.

Once Shaq heard the truth, he stormed off saying he should have been chosen. Gunn tried to get the LA Lakers legend excited about a Charles Barkley cameo, to which Shaq replied, “F— Barkley”, once again making use of a chance to roast his TNT co-host.

Shaquille O’Neal has already provided so much to the entertainment industry in addition to his 19-year-long Hall of Fame basketball career. After all this, one only wonders what is next in store for him.