Shaquille O’Neal and Novak Djokovic have both enjoyed legendary careers in their respective sports.
The American won four NBA Championships and finished as the League MVP in 2000.
Djokovic, on the other hand, is a 24-time Grand Slam champion and is widely considered to be one of, if not the greatest, tennis players of all time.
But what happened when the pair met for the very first time?
During this year’s ‘Joy Forum’, in Saudi Arabia, O’Neal recalled how he first introduced himself to the tennis star.
Shaquille O’Neal gave the tennis ‘G.O.A.T.’ a hug when they first met
Sitting next to UFC president Dana White and Djokovic, O’Neal looked back upon his first interaction with the Serb.
“I’m here, I’m sitting next to two icons, Dana White, and the greatest, the G.O.A.T. of tennis, I know there’s a lot of names you can put in there, but I’ve known this guy for a while, he’s definitely the G.O.A.T.,” he said.
“I remember the first time we met each other, he looked, I looked, we didn’t know each other, we just smiled, and just gave each other a big hug, I was like ‘Oh my god, it’s nice to meet you!’
“Even though I am who I am, I’m still a fan. I didn’t know the great guy from tennis knew who I was.
“He looked at me, he said ‘Shaq!’, I was like, ‘Djokovic, you know who I am?’, we just hugged, and we’ve been friends ever since.”
Growing up in Serbia, a country that loves its basketball, it’s not surprising that Djokovic knew about the former LA Lakers star.
And of course, Djokovic is a household name around the world…
O’Neal will no doubt support his friend when he returns to the ATP Tour next month.
Can Novak Djokovic win another Grand Slam at the 2026 Australian Open?
Djokovic is the most successful player in the history of Grand Slam tennis, winning 24 titles throughout his career.
He has, however, been unable to add to his tally since 2023, as his younger rivals, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, have begun to dominate.
Aged 38, Djokovic faces an uphill battle to win his elusive 25th Grand Slam, but if anyone can do it, it’s him…
He’ll have a chance to do so at the Australian Open next month, an event at which he has played his best tennis.
A record 10-time champion, Djokovic never fails to impress Down Under, and despite coming up short in 2025, he still picked up one of the best wins of his season.
Against all odds, Djokovic beat Alcaraz in the 2025 Australian Open quarterfinals, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4, defeating the man 16 years his junior in four sets.
Unfortunately for Djokovic, he missed out on a place in the final, retiring in his semifinal match with Alexander Zverev due to injury.
Only time will tell if he can return to the latter stages of the tournament and challenge for the title in 2026.
The 2026 Australian Open is scheduled to begin on Sunday, January 18.
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