Shaqir O’Neal strikes a pose with Mike Tyson before $30 million worth boxing legend’s podcast episode with Shaquille O’Neal

Sacramento State forward Shaqir O'Neal posed with former undisputed world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson before his guesting on the podcast hosted by Shaqir's father and former NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal.

The six-foot-eight incoming senior was excited to see the boxing legend in person and had a photo opportunity with the small but explosive heavyweight who knocked out 44 opponents in 50 wins.

Tyson appeared on Shaquille O'Neal's "The Big Podcast with Shaq" with co-host Adam Lefkoe on Saturday in Las Vegas. Bryan Bayati shared a once-in-a-lifetime moment on his Instagram stories and NCAA Noobita reposted it on his account as well.

Shaqir O'Neal is with the legendary center while having an offseason break from basketball. He's transferred to Sacramento State after playing 29 games with Florida A&M last season

The forward averaged a career-high 6.7 points and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 50.3% from the field with the Rattlers. O'Neal's stats last season were already an achievement for the young player after spending his first two seasons with Texas Southern and averaged 1.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per contest.

---

Shaqir O'Neal looks to improve on 2024-25 season performance with Shaquille O'Neal serving as the Hornets' GM

Shaqir O'Neal looks to eclipse his career-high output last season as he transferred to Sacramento State. He could use his experience to lead the Hornets' rise from the bottom of the Big Sky Conference standings.

O'Neal is not the only prominent person in the lineup. They also have transfer guard Mikey Williams and former four-star recruit Brandon Gardner. The team will be coached by former Sacramento Kings' point guard Mike Bibby and Shaquille O'Neal is serving as the program's general manager.

The school hopes the retooled roster will help the team pull off an impressive campaign in the 2025-26 season, the Hornets' last year in the Big Sky Conference. Sacramento State will join the Big West Conference next season, raising the number of teams competing for the Big West title to 12.

"In addition to strengthening The Big West competitively and expanding our geographic footprint, Sacramento State is a staunch advocate for excellence in academics, athletics and service within their community, Big West commissioner Dan Butterly said. "The new look Big West promises to bring a new level of competition and friendly rivalry for student-athletes and fans alike."

Other schools affiliated with the Big West include California Baptist, Cal Poly, Cal State Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, CSUN, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara and Utah Valley.