Shaq was never built for the background. We all know him for his NBA rings, poster dunks, and jaw-dropping face-offs on the hardwood. But how many of you have noticed the sharp ascent of DJ Diesel post-2015? If your first instinct was to Google who that is – then you have a lot of homework to do… Regardless, though, at 53, Shaq’s not slowing down his train. I cannot help but wonder, how did Shaq go from being a court bully to an absolute powerhouse DJ?

We at EssentiallySports wanted an answer to that question. That’s where Logan Bohbot stepped in. As Director of Artist Management at Medium Rare, it is believed that Logan is the force behind Shaq’s booming presence in the DJ world!

In an exclusive sit-down with EssentiallySports’ senior journalist Andrew Whitelaw, Bohbot peeled back an interesting layer of Big Diesel’s never-ending LinkedIn profile!

A passion for music was present in Shaquille O’Neal since his LSU days. As Logan Bohbot revealed to us, “When we started working with him, it was clear Shaq’s passion for DJing was self-curated. It wasn’t something that was inflicted on him or needed to be sold to him.”

“He was a DJ in the late 80s and 90s. DJ Diesel began when he was at LSU… obviously things evolved in the basketball world since then, and he went on to have quite a successful NBA career, so he had to drop DJing and focus on what matters. But when he was out of the league, his life became corporate, and DJing was his escape from all of that,” Bohbot said in his conversation with Whitelaw of EssentiallySports.

Shaq’s belief system was clear from Day 1. “There are two things that bring people together: sports and music,” he mentioned in various interviews.

3 things mattered to Shaq.

The record,

The crowd,

The Game 7 (atmosphere).

For Bohbot, managing someone with that kind of raw passion made the job all the more rewarding—and a lot easier. But here’s a sneak peek into the backdoors of DJ Diesel exclusively making a big. Not everything was easy for Shaq, and it came at the cost of calculated risks.

“When he decided to DJ, and more importantly take it seriously, sure there were some challenges with finding the time and you know making sure the budgets were in line to cover the cost that he has, but ultimately he was fine to lose money in the beginning because it was an investment in himself,” Bohbot added before highlighting the tie-ups he did to scale Shaq’s pet dream from passion to profession, but being a business mogul – there were some issues in the past.

“Our biggest challenges really came down to scheduling as he is such a busy man, but coordinating with his team at Authentic Brands Group made that easy, and proving to promoters that we aren’t a celebrity DJ,” Bohbot told EssentiallySports.

“Over time, it was clear Shaq may be a ‘celebrity’ and a ‘DJ’ but he is no gimmick and doing the same business as the top DJs in the scene. We collaborate directly with Shaquille on the creative and work closely with our partner Brian at Bayati Entertainment, who has played a major role on the music and creative side as well. It’s been an up-and-down journey, but it’s been a lot of fun,” Bohbot quickly admitted. All the risks finally paid off.

That’s what differentiates winners from the average. They take the risk, without counting on the what-ifs. But did the risks actually give the return they expected?

Logan was quick to put the numbers and comparison out: “I think if you look at where we are today versus three, four years ago, it’s drastically different and for the better. Shaquille’s DJ business is generating 8 figures annually. We’re selling crazy tickets. We have our own festival. We have Las Vegas residency. We dropped an album with another album on the way. And it’s only the beginning for DJ Diesel, which is really exciting,” he told Whitelaw of EssentiallySports during their conversation. What drew Bohbot toward Shaq was his passion for DJing. He took it ‘seriously’ but not as a means to make money. Being behind the booth was Shaq’s way of finding an “escape”. It was his passion.

Shaquille O’Neal loves to party… his own way

Big Diesel was inspired by the old-school hip-hop turntablists he grew up listening to. Teenage Shaq taught himself how to spin a $200 setup that he’d managed to build after saving cash from cutting grass and washing cars. Throughout college, he played at gigs to earn some extra cash while trying to balance his hoops career. He tried his hand at rapping and other forms of music, but there came a time when it was everything basketball for the big man.

People go to crazy extremes to achieve their dreams. Well, Shaq did the same for his mental peace. After retirement, Big Diesel didn’t know what he was going to do. He didn’t feel unproductive, but the thrill was still absent. Creating bass tunes touched and filled that void, and Shaquille O’Neal decided he would continue to build, enjoy, and live for it till his last, no matter what.

What turned his passion into a profession was his gamble at TomorrowWorld music festival in Georgia’s Chattahoochee Hills in 2015. The big man was stunned by the crowd, as over 10,000 people gathered in a not-so-prime time slot, even taking the promoter Joe Silberzweig by surprise. He played in local gigs from the Bahamas to Beijing and drew crowds upwards of 50,000!

The goal, however, has always been clear: “I’m not trying to be the best DJ. All I want to do is rock the crowd.”

DJ Diesel puts on a show, and one of the best takeaways from it as a fan can be knowing they were a part of Shaq’s personal escape from his chaotic life. In a way, isn’t that escape what rave culture is all about? That energy? It’s pure Diesel!

“He loves to dance, he loves to sing, he loves to jump around. It’s why he loves bass music. It gives him that Game 7 energy,” Bohbot explained. And it is no secret. Whether from the stage or in the crowd, DJ Diesel is always around. Five years ago, Shaq said he didn’t mind losing money because DJing to him was what an hour of NBA basketball felt like, and look where he is now. But what separates ‘Superman’ from his hoops career and his DJ world is worth noting.

Unlike on the hardwood where Shaq loved dominating, while DJing, he believes in a different idea: Sharing the stage.

Through different initiatives like ‘SHAQ’s Bass All-Stars Festival,’ he is empowering smaller and younger artists by giving them a platform to play their tracks. Spacing himself ‌between legends and young talents, DJ Diesel is standing true to his 2023 claim: “Even though it’s my show, I tell my guys, ‘No, don’t put me last. It ain’t about me, it’s about them.’”

Medium Rare also represents GORDO and has partnered with Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, WrestleMania, Sports Illustrated, and others to build experiential events around their IP, such as Shaq’s Fun House, Gronk Beach, Kelce Jam, and more.