As an NBA icon, astute entrepreneur, and successful DJ, Shaquille O’Neal frequently meets people from diverse backgrounds. Whether it be billionaires or social media influencers, the list is long. Just last year, the Big Aristotle met with the infamous ‘Hawk Tuah Girl,’ and this year, he has met an OnlyFans star whose $82 million in just 18 months has shocked the world.

First, Sophie Rain captioned the photo on X, “Look who I ran into on my birthday!!” This tweet of hers with Shaq has over 3.3 million views in a few hours. It was natural that the model and content creator went viral once again, this time thanks to the presence of the 4x NBA champion. Apparently, the Lakers legend made a surprise appearance at her birthday festivities. Just a few months ago, she made claims about her earnings in comparison to LeBron James, which obviously went viral.

She tweeted again with the caption, “celebrating my 21st birthday in Vegas with Shaq 🥹“. In that video shared with her three million followers on X, Rain is seen in the DJ booth alongside Shaquille O’Neal, who was performing, as the two danced and celebrated together. Speaking to Complex after the encounter, Rain described the meeting as surreal. “I was out with friends celebrating turning 21, and all of a sudden Shaq was right there,” she said. “It didn’t even feel real. He was so friendly, so down-to-earth, and honestly, he made the whole night even more unforgettable.”

For context, the Big Aristotle’s side gig is being a DJ. Shaquille O’Neal bought his first set for $200. And for that, the Lakers legend had to cut grass and walk dogs. From there, he learned the trade in the 1980s and today has even performed alongside Steve Aoki, Diplo, DJ Carnage, Von Mitaller, etc. That’s not it. There is also a long list of his sold-out main stages around the globe, including Lost Lands to Tomorrowland, EDC LV, Lost Lands, Lollapalooza, Forbidden Kingdom, Beyond Wonderland, and even his own festival series – Shaq’s Bass All Stars.

So there is no doubt, Shaq knows how to throw a party. Describing her own 21st birthday celebration, Rain had all the positive things to say about O’Neal.”I’ve met a lot of people through my work, but Shaq has this energy that fills the room. Everyone around him is smiling. He made me feel like I was the celebrity, which is wild to say on my birthday.” Speaking about wild, let’s check her comments and claims about matching Bron’s salary.

Rain’s income puts a question mark over the highest-earning athletes, including Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James

Bron and Shaq have successfully etched themselves in the upper echelon of global icons. The former has over $1.2 billion in net worth, while the latter has $500 million. Being the face of the NBA during their tenure, it surely helped them bring more success to their personal brand. But in comparison to Sophie Rain, it still might not be enough. In a video with David Dobrik, Rain revealed that she’s made a staggering $82 million in just 18 months. “That was all true,” she said.

For the month of July, she called it a “slow month” as the total earnings were just $3.2 million. This was still more in comparison to Shaquille O’Neal‘s rookie salary, which was $3 million as per Spotrac. But wait, there is more to Rain’s revelation. “I almost made more than LeBron last year. He made $56 million, I made 43.” James remains one of the highest-earning athletes in the world, pulling in tens of millions annually from his Lakers contract and endorsement empire.

LeBron even signed a $52.6 million player option this offseason, in order to continue with the team. Who would have thought that the new creator economy would come this close to challenging athletes with big paydays?