DJ Diesel, aka Shaquille O’Neal, has been DJing since he was a teenager.

DJ Diesel

DJ Diesel, better known as Shaquille O’Neal, partnered with Credit One Bank to give away $50,000 to Southern Methodist University students at the first stop of the “Credit One Bank Credit Tip Off Tour.” Students came to the event expecting a free set from one of the biggest DJs on the planet, but O’Neal, notoriously generous and equally devious, started shelling out cash for students who could make a free throw, something he, the 2000 NBA MVP, could not reliably do.

The four-stop college campus tour, which includes a panel discussion about credit literacy, ends with a set from his DJ Diesel alter ego. The shows are free for students at each university and, unexpectedly, award high-dollar cash prizes. 

“What we’ve learned is that providing access [to credit cards] without education to teach people responsible use of credit really doesn’t give people the financial momentum they need,” says Michael Coleman, chief marketing officer of Credit One Bank.

One student, Zariyah Perry, pursuing a degree in film, confided to O’Neal that she had taken loans in the ballpark of $20,000 to produce a feature. He cut her a deal: for a free-throw, he and the bank would give her $10,000. She made the shot. 

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Zariyah Perry, a junior at Southern Methodist University, won $10,000 to help pay off her loans.

Later in the night, another student made a nothing-but-net shot from a significant distance for another $10,000. 

In the panel discussion, O’Neal shared that early in his career, a poor credit score prevented him from making large purchases, including buying a home for his mother, despite having signed a $40 million rookie contract. The NBA star and North Texan shared that 72% of professional athletes end their careers with very little in retained earnings, and he refused to be one of them.

So now, his advice for young adults beginning to build their credit: “Never miss a payment.”

After giving away about a semester’s worth of money, O’Neal took his place behind the tables to play a 30-minute set.

The multi-hyphenate began experimenting behind the turntables as a high schooler in San Antonio and even played sets while a student at Louisiana State University in the ‘80s. Music took the back burner for a few years until he released a string of charting albums in the ‘90s. 

In 2023, he reemerged as DJ Diesel, making rave music. The tour will take him to three more college campuses across the country, but the benefit of sharing a metropolitan area with O’Neal is that he plays local shows all of the time. You can catch him at SILO Dallas on Sept. 20, but don’t expect $50,000.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of the story, citing information provided by Credit One Bank, stated that the duo had given away $45,000. Credit One Bank has corrected the information to $50,000.