Shaquille O’Neal has never been one to hold back his personality, whether on the court, behind the DJ booth, or online. This week, the NBA Hall of Famer shut down rumors linking him to OnlyFans star Sophie Rain with a clapback that instantly became meme material across TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram.
It all started when Rain, a Christian influencer and rising online personality, celebrated her 21st birthday in Las Vegas at the Encore Beach Club, where O’Neal was DJ’ing. Photos and videos from the party showed Rain dancing with Shaq in the DJ booth, holding up drinks, and even sitting on his lap in one viral snapshot.
Rain herself posted, “I met Shaq in Vegas and he brought me on stage!!! So so cool!!!”
As soon as the images hit social media, speculation erupted that O’Neal, 53, and Rain were secretly dating. TikToker Noah Glenn Carter even suggested that “people are not happy with Shaq” because of the 32-year age gap. That was enough to draw a fiery response from the four-time NBA champion.
“I don’t daw that young but I will date your mom and give u a brother,” Shaq wrote in Carter’s comments. The one-liner instantly went viral, cementing itself as a classic Shaq reply alongside his long history of playful trash talk.
The jokes didn’t stop there. In a since-deleted follow-up, Shaquille O’Neal reportedly added, “Stop tryna create rumors don’t make me slap you dude. Your mom is hot tell her to hit me on my SkyTel pager.”
Rain, who has more than 13 million followers on TikTok and another 8 million on Instagram, laughed off the rumors as well. In an interview, she called Shaq “so gracious and real” and insisted the two are just friends.
The contrast between Shaq’s humor and Rain’s rising profile only fueled more conversation online. Rain, who claims she made $43.4 million in online earnings last year, has branded herself as a “Christian OnlyFans” model and even told The New York Post she is saving herself for marriage. Her image sitting on Shaq’s lap while flipping off the camera only added to the internet storm.
For O’Neal, this is hardly the first time he’s had to shoot down viral dating speculation. Just last year, he denied being the man in a PDA-heavy Instagram post that had fans convinced he was caught in a compromising moment.
Despite the noise, Shaq’s focus remains elsewhere. The “Inside the NBA” analyst continues his residency as DJ Diesel in Las Vegas, while also juggling his many business ventures. Personally, O’Neal has said he likely won’t remarry after his 2011 divorce from Shaunie Henderson, though he remains close with their four children and his eldest daughter from a previous relationship.
As for this latest viral rumor, Shaquille O’Neal’s blunt response made one thing clear: the Big Diesel isn’t dating Sophie Rain, but he’s more than happy to keep the internet entertained in the process.
