On 21 Savage's 2017 hit "Bank Account", he name-drops two NBA legends while delivering boasts and threats:
"Dunk right in your bitch like O'Neal, dawg
Plus I shoot like, shoot like Reggie Mill', dawg"
While some have speculated that Savage might have been referring to Jermaine O'Neal, since he played on the Indiana Pacers alongside Reggie Miller, it seems more likely that he was referring to Shaq. For the sake of my set-up, I'm going to assume this was the case. Shaq is now the one giving a public shoutout to the Atlanta rapper.
On Friday, Shaq posted a picture of Instagram of him standing with his massive arm wrapped around Savage. "Saw wanna my favorite guys last night," Shaq gushed in the caption. While it's unclear whether the two have crossed paths before or Shaq is just a big fan of Savage's music, it's nice to see this unexpected bromance. Perhaps Shaq is just grateful for having been name-dropped in such a popular rap song, although "Bank Account" definitely wasn't the first time.
While we're on the topic of rap-basketball crossovers, check out our feature piece, "Rap Or Go To The League: How The NBA Embedded Itself In Hip-Hop's DNA," which places a central focus on Shaq's career.