Shaquille O’ Neal Is Reveling in His Second Act

After retiring from professional basketball in 2011, Shaquille O’ Neal, 52, has found a second career as a sports analyst and a DJ by the name of DJ Diesel. “DJing gives me the adrenaline boost I need in my life,” he says. The NBA Hall of Famer is also looking forward to cohosting the new ABC game show, Lucky 13, with actress Gina Rodriguez. On the show, premiering July 18, contestants predict how well they will perform at answering 13 true-or-false trivia questions. O'Neal shares with AARP why he decided to host a game show, his advice for the athletes competing at this summer's Olympics and the one goal he's still trying to achieve.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

How did you get into DJing?

I’ve always had a passion for music, and I actually started DJing in college at LSU [Louisiana State University]. After I retired from the NBA, I needed something that gave me that same “game seven energy.”

O'Neal is co-hosting the new ABC game show, "Lucky 13," with actress Gina Rodriguez.

ABC/Disney

 What appealed to you about hosting a game show?

Bringing people together to have a good time is what I love to do, and hosting Lucky 13 is an exciting new way for me to do that. We’ve put together a game show that’s designed for families to interact and play along at home. Giving away plenty of prize money is great too. Seeing the look on people’s faces when they realize they just won life-changing money never gets old.

How do you think you’d fare if you were a contestant on the show?

I think everyone knows how competitive I am! I’m going for the million bucks.

You wrote a moving Instagram tribute to Jerry West. [West died in June, and was known for luring Shaq from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers.] What’s one life lesson he taught you?

​I learned a lot from Jerry — it’s not just one lesson. He was an incredible leader and a legend of the game. When I signed with the Lakers, he had total faith we would win a championship, and that taught me that to achieve greatness, everyone involved has to believe it can happen. Most important, he taught me about patience. In the 1998 [NBA Western] Conference Finals, I was playing for the Lakers and we lost to the [Utah] Jazz. I didn’t take it as well as I should have. I was frustrated that we had missed out on the title. But since Jerry had experienced many near wins himself before finally winning it all, he helped me understand that our time would come. The rest is history.