Tanner Adell is getting well-deserved mainstream recognition since her feature in Beyonce’s album, Cowboy Carter. Just remember that DJ Diesel noticed her first. While on The Jennifer Hudson Show, Adell revealed the backstory to her sporadic appearances in Shaquille O’Neal’s EDM performances. Fans who had the good fortune of going to Shaq’s DJ events would have caught the familiar mix of “Buckle Bunny” in his sets. As it turns out, he got it straight from the source. And it kickstarted one of Shaq’s many mentorship relationships.

When Jennifer Hudson asked the 27-year-old if she’s surprised she has celebrity fans, Adell blurted, “I FaceTime Shaq a lot.” Even Hudson pointed out that she looked surprised when she said that fact aloud. But it’s true that Adell not only has regular communication with the NBA legend, but he’s as good as family to her. “He’s basically my uncle now. He’s so sweet.” The start of this honorary uncle-niece relationship began hilariously, though. As it goes with Shaq and an internet connection, he pinged her as Adell recollected, “[Shaq] slid into my DMs and said I love Buckle Bunny, and I was like, I can’t believe that.”

O’Neal enjoyed “Buckle Bunny” so much that he had to include it in his sets. Along with the few originals and collaborations with up-and-coming EDM artists, he’s known to sample songs you’d least expect, often ’90s pop hits and even country pop, and lace them with heavy, borderline metal, bass beats. His inclusion of a certain song showcased DJ Diesel’s unorthodox dubstep sound. No one knew until now that he asked the artist herself to make it happen.

Uncle Shaq the fan

Uncle Shaqie-Wackie was a menace to Kenny Smith but a mentor to Angel Reese. Tanner Adell felt the same adoration from the big teddy bear that Reese did. He formally asked her permission to remix “Buckly Bunny” for his set and requested the stem for the same. The result made Adell a fan of DJ Diesel and led to a collaboration.

When O’Neal, in a cowboy hat and a Diesel Mafia tee, entertained bassheads at the Skydeck Broadway in Nashville in March 2024, Adell joined him. He played his remix of “Buckle Bunny,” leaving fans a little surprised by that version. Adell and her live performance of the trap version were the main crowd-pleasers. Adell raved about the opportunity to perform with Shaq to Hudson, who also performed with O’Neal at his annual fundraiser. She, however, didn’t disclose what conversations she had with Uncle Shaq.

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Now that she’s revealed this, we’re hoping for more Shaq stories from Tanner Adell. What’s your take on this story? Share your thoughts below, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.