Shaquille O’Neal was thrilled to meet ‘cultural icon’ Taylor Swift at Super Bowl

Shaquille O’Neal had a big mission at the Super Bowl: To meet Taylor Swift.

“If I see Taylor Swift and get to shake her hand, take a picture, I’ll be good,” O’Neal told Page Six on the Friday before the big game. “She’s a fabulous person. I’m happy for her. I’m proud of her. She’s done a lot. She’s definitely a cultural icon.”

O’Neal was speaking to the publication at Shaq’s Fun House, his annual pre-Super Bowl party. Since 2018, O’Neal has hosted a festival in the same city as the Super Bowl. The festival is held on the Friday before Super Bowl Sunday and features music acts, carnival games and more.

This year, Shaq’s Fun House featured performers including Lil Wayne and Diplo. And while NFL stars like Tim Tebow, Rob Gronkowski and Patrick Mahomes have attended Shaq’s Fun House in the past, the 2024 party didn’t feature any famous faces from the Chiefs… or any famous faces dating a player on the Chiefs.

But when you’re a global icon yourself, it’s easy to meet another icon.

O’Neal (who recently interviewed Jason Kelce on his podcast “The Big Podcast with Shaq”) not only got to meet Swift, he even got to contribute to her Super Bowl outfit. He shared photos of the experience on Instagram, where the images quickly gained hundreds of thousands of likes.

O’Neal and his business partner Jamie Salter gifted Swift with a Judith Leiber handbag personalized just for her with Travis Kelce’s number “87” on it. The crystal-encrusted bag is shaped like a football and retails for nearly $5,000.

“Finally met @taylorswift,” O’Neal wrote in the caption for an Instagram photo of the three of them. Mission accomplished, Shaq!

Carrying her new bag, Swift made a splash at the Super Bowl, cheering on Kelce alongside famous faces including Blake Lively, Ice Spice and Lana Del Rey. Kelce’s parents and Swift’s parents were also watching the game with Swift from the luxury suite.

Later, Swift shared a TikTok of Kelce at the post-game party. The humorous video features an uncomfortable Swift in a darkened club with Kelce and her parents, along with the caption: “accidentally going clubbing with your parents is something everyone should try at least once in their life.”

We’d like to party with this crew at least once!