Candace Parker has had a legendary basketball career, but even legends have their limits, especially when it comes to air travel with Shaquille O’Neal. The WNBA icon turned executive and broadcaster revealed a hilarious and chaotic story on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” where she swore off ever flying on Shaq’s private jet again after enduring one of the loudest and strangest flights of her life.
Parker, who now serves as the president of Adidas Women’s Basketball after retiring from the WNBA, shared the moment during an interview with guest host Anthony Anderson. When asked about her dynamic with Shaq on TNT’s “Inside the NBA,” she broke into laughter and quickly recalled a private jet ride gone terribly wrong, or, at least, too EDM-heavy for her taste.
“I was new to the team, and we were in North Carolina doing a shoot. He was like, ‘I’m going to LA. Just hop on my PJ. And I’m like, ‘Okay, that beats getting in line at Delta and, you know, all that stuff.”
“I hop on his PJ. This dude dj’d on full blast for four hours and 30 minutes and then proceeded, for the last 35 minutes, to fall asleep and snore louder than the music. So that was the first and the last time that I took Shaq’s plane.”
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Anthony Anderson confirmed for the audience that Shaq is indeed a legit DJ, albeit one with a very particular musical taste. Parker also revealed that Shaq brings his DJ antics into the workplace, regularly spinning music during NBA game nights in the control room while the rest of the team is trying to focus.
Despite her firm vow never to board Shaq Air again, Parker made it clear that there’s nothing but love and admiration between them.
O’Neal has echoed that sentiment on-air before, once telling Parker he was proud of her post-retirement moves and calling her “inspiring.” The duo’s on-screen chemistry has become a fan favorite on TNT, and their off-camera friendship is clearly built on deep mutual respect and just a little chaos.
As for Parker, her flying future will involve less EDM and more peace. As for Shaq? He’s probably still spinning tracks 40,000 feet in the air. Just without Candace Parker in seat 2A.
