Four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal made an unexpected appearance on well-known internet personality Sophie Rain’s special day. On Monday, Sept. 22, @scubaryan_ on X/Twitter uploaded a photo of O’Neal alongside the popular influencer that has since gone viral.
The linkup between O’Neal and Rain was reported for the latter’s 21st birthday. O’Neal is seen sitting down, smiling in his black-and-white, short-sleeve button-up, black tank top, black jeans, and black cap, while Rain went for a dark-colored bikini that’s covered underneath her see-through dress.
Sophie Rain linked up with Shaq for her 21st birthday 👀 pic.twitter.com/p3Ia4PfG7w
— ryan 🤿 (@scubaryan_) September 22, 2025
Fans online were quick to poke fun at the unlikely meetup of 53-year-old O’Neal and 21-year-old Rain.
I have a question though
Is she richer than Shaq? pic.twitter.com/LWNG42b6NO— TEM (@Liltem_1) September 24, 2025
“UNC looks happy AF 😁😁,” another fan pointed out with a couple of smiling emojis.
“UNC looks too happy to be there 😭,” a fan asserted with a crying emoji and a screenshot of O’Neal.
Other X users were in disbelief with the speculation of two well-known individuals from their respective fields linking up unexpectedly.
“This is confirmed A.I., bro,” one user said.
“This gotta be A.I.,” another fan wrote with a photo of O’Neal doing a timeout pose.
“Shaq really knows everybody, man never misses a celebration,” a fan posted.
O’Neal is currently enjoying his 14th year of retirement from professional basketball, as his final stint came in 2011 with the Boston Celtics. Rain, on the other hand, has established herself as one of the most famous personalities on the internet, garnering eight million followers on Instagram.
Also Read: “I’ll Walk A NYC Block Butt A** Naked”: Shaquille O’Neal Makes Bizzare Promise If $10,100,000,000 Squad Doesn’t Win Super Bowl
Shaquille O’Neal Was The DJ At Sophie Rain’s 21st Birthday Celebration
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In a video posted by @thebreadbatchfm on Instagram, it was captured that Shaquille O’Neal was at Sophie Rain’s 21st birthday celebrations, as he was one of the DJs at the event. In the clip, O’Neal is seen playing different kinds of progressive house music, mixing it with chopped vocals of his choice, while being an MC, as he hypes the crowd up.
Rain is seen beside him, partying to O’Neal’s music. Besides being one of the greatest NBA stalwarts of all time, O’Neal has been pursuing a music and DJ-ing career under the name ‘DJ Diesel.’ Since his retirement in 2011, O’Neal has been featured in music festivals such as Tomorrowland and Lollapalooza.
Read More: Shaquille O’Neal’s Daughter Me’arah O’Neal Shares 2-Word Reaction to Brother Shaqir’s Transfer Portal Announcement
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