The big man was spotted out “in the wild” in the big state of Texas over the weekend. Shaq was performing as his alter ego DJ Diesel at a music festival in the state capital of Austin Friday night. But before that happened, he was seen at a popular bar and grill, swapping stories and selfies with the locals.
For those who know their Shaq-history, you know that a very (very!) young Shaquille O’Neal spent part of his high school years at Cole High School in San Antonio, just down I-35 from Austin. More on Shaq’s early hoops history coming up down this post.
Shaq was in Austin for a big show Friday, March 8th at the Concourse Project in Austin. O’Neal (working as DJ Diesel, of course) has been on tour, TV schedule permitting for some time. Before the gig in Austin, there he was, live and in-person at Willie’s Grill and Icehouse, in the town of Kyle, south of Austin and north of San Marcos.
The BIG Podcast with SHAQ
Of course there were pictures. Check them out below. Just like everywhere else, the big man was just that – big. He towered over restaurant staff and locals alike, posing for the all-important selfie. Even those that missed the appearance at Willie’s put on some Texas hospitality. Comments on Willie’s socials pages offered plenty of shout-outs, and “Welcome to Kyle, Shaq!”
For hoops historians, central Texas (San Antonio and Austin) play a big part in O’Neals journey. It was pretty much exactly 35 years ago when Shaq visited Austin as a high school star, playing for a state championship.
Back then, a very young Shaq and the rest of his Cole High School basketball teammates made their way from San Antonio to the state capital to compete in the UIL 3A Basketball State Tournament. It was on March 11, 1989 that O’Neal led his team to a 66-60 win over Clarksville High School for the title. That night, Shaq put up 29-points and collected 16-rebounds. With the win, Cole finished a perfect 36-0 season.
At the time, Shaq was one of those “Army brat” kids, who’d moved around the world with his family, as his father had different postings, from Europe to different US locations. At Cole High School, it took a year or so for the big kid to get noticed.
In his junior year, Cole did have a perfect regular-season record, but lost to another Texas powerhouse team – Liberty Hill High, located in the northwest Austin suburbs. The next year, Cole’s Cougars won it all, and Shaq would be headed off to LSU for college hoops.
Thanks to San Antonio TV sports reporter Don Harris who put together the story for Shaq’s return to Austin and his high school playing career. Harris is still working – as is Shaq, of course. Harris says he reconnected with Shaq at the NBA All-Star game this year. He wrote that even though he personally had forgotten many of the details of young O’Neal’s high school playing days, Shaq remembered it all! Teams, scores, even some of the other young guys he played against. Impressive!