Shaquille O’Neal joked that he was “always jealous” of David Beckham at the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Nov. 18.Photo:Ethan Miller - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty
Ethan Miller - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty
Before the legendary athletes were friends,Shaquille O’Nealwas a bit envious ofDavid Beckham!
The retired basketball star, 51, and the soccer player, 48, attended theSports Illustrated-hosted Club SI party at theLas Vegas Grand Prixon Saturday — where O’Neal joked that he once had a one-sided rivalry with Beckham.
Speaking exclusively with PEOPLE at the Formula 1 (F1) racing event, O’Neal joked that he was once “jealous” of Beckham but now that he knows the soccer star — and his family — well, he thinks he’s a “great guy.”
“I was always jealous of him,” the NBA legend tells PEOPLE, explaining that it was “professional jealousy,” because he “wanted to be the highest-paid athlete ever,” and at the time Beckham, whom O’Neal didn’t know, was a big earner.
Once the legendary players became acquainted, however, O’Neal changed his tune.
“And then I finally met him and he was a cool guy,” he says. “And if you never saw his documentary [Netflix’sBeckham], you should watch it. I never knew he had to go through all that too, but it just shows you how great he is, how he persevered through all that stuff.”
Shaquille O’Neal (left) and David Beckham attend the Sports Illustrated Club SI event at the F1 Grand Prix.Shaquille-O-Neal-David-Beckham-111923
Shaquille-O-Neal-David-Beckham-111923
He continues, “I know his wife, I know his kids, and again, it’s just, even though I’m the Shaq, I’m not Shaq, I’m just a regular person. So the fact that I have David Beckham’s number,Tom Brady’s number on my phone … [it] doesn’t get any bigger than that.”
The basketball star also shared a moment that led him to change his mind about motor racing.
“I had a show a long time ago,Shaq Vs., and I racedDale Earnhardt Jr.But before that, I said that these guys aren’t athletes,” he tells PEOPLE. “But after driving the car for… it wasn’t even a real race. We had a little track, but I was the most tired I’ve ever been.”
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Since squashing his jealousy for Beckham, O’Neal has spent quite a bit of time with the soccer star and his family — sonsBrooklyn, 24,Romeo, 21,Cruz, 18, and daughterHarper, 12.
In 2018, whenVictoria Beckhamand her fashion brand joined forces for a collection with Reebok, sherecruited O’Neal.
At the time, the fashion designer also shared aphotoof herself and O’Neal in which she needed to stand on top of a wooden box to minimize their major height difference, and aclipof herself “dunking” from atop the basketball star’s shoulders.
Her soccer star husband also snapped a pic with O’Neal, which he shared on Instagram.
“Me and the big man having a casual dinner … Always amazing to be in the presence of a true legend @shaq @lakers 💜💛,” he captioned theshot.
source: people.com
