Shaquille O’Neal always had a thing for big dreams and bigger stages. Lately, he’s been flexing his cape with DC’s $7 billion Superman reboot, popping up in promos and talking about how the Man of Steel made him believe he could outrun trains as a kid. It wasn’t just nostalgia — Shaq was sliding into the spotlight of one of Hollywood’s priciest franchises. But just when it looked like he was all in on saving the DC Universe, boom — a shot at owning a European basketball team lands on his plate straight from Adam Silver! So now the question is: does Superman trade Metropolis for Naples?

“I know Vegas hasn’t been awarded an NBA team yet, but if they ever get to a point where they are awarded a team, I would like to be a part of that,” The Big Aristotle had set the record straight on his wishes. And owning an NBA team is top on the priority list. At the same time, Shaq had always been passionate about joining the Superman world. Between the two, it seems that he is ready to make a choice.

A recent post from Italian Football TV’s X (formerly Twitter) breaks it down. With a caption, “Shaquille O’Neal could join Matt Rizzetta and Daniel Doyle’s investment group to take control of Napoli Basketball, as per Il Mattino 📰 The former NBA star’s longtime manager Mike Parris was spotted in this weekend in Naples on a scouting visit,” the post hints a significant move in Shaq’s aspirations as a team owner.

As confirmed by the Italian newspaper Il Mattino, Shaquille O’Neal is reportedly weighing in on joining an investment group led by Matt Rizzetta and Daniel Doyle to acquire a 66% stake in Napoli Basketball. Rizzetta, an Italian-American entrepreneur, is known for his involvement in both U.S. and Italian sports, including ownership of Brooklyn FC and Campobasso FC. What is interesting here is that Shaquille O’Neal’s longtime manager, Mike Parris, was recently seen in Naples, fueling speculation about the NBA legend’s potential role in the venture. 

For a growing club like Napoli, the face value of the Big Aristotle can bring a much-needed boost. Even if it means that Shaq might have to move slightly away from his dream of joining the Superman franchise! If things pan out according to the plan, Shaq might end up adding more cash value to his pile.

And speaking of value, this potential European league venture isn’t just about the prestige. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been exploring the idea of a European league for a while, with franchises in major cities like London or Paris projected to sell for at least $500 million each. Given the strength of the NBA brand and the increasing basketball fan base in Europe, the franchise values could soar as the league grows.

Shaq’s Superman dream was distanced from DC

While the chatter of The Diesel abandoning the DC franchise is growing, there was a time when the superhero franchise tried to pull the plug on their star. When Shaq played John Henry Irons in Steel, the character was originally created to fill the void left by Superman’s death in the comics. However, in the film, Irons creates his own homemade armor to take down a former colleague’s arms-dealing operation. Apart from Shaq’s Superman tattoo, there is little connection to Superman or even the broader DC universe in the movie.

This was a deliberate choice by the filmmakers to redefine the character. Rather than align with traditional superhero tropes, they made Steel more grounded, almost an everyman superhero. Producer Joel Simon described him as a “super human being” in a modern, almost knightly sense, while director Kenneth Johnson envisioned him as a “blue-collar Batman.” They intentionally stripped Steel of any grand DC mythology, even removing his iconic cape, to make him more relatable and less fantastical.

As a result, Steel ended up being a film that stood apart from the wider DC universe, displaying Shaq in a role that was disconnected from the superheroes we knew. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about Shaquille O’Neal, it’s that he’s never content with just one spotlight!