“He is MAGA?” – Shaquille O’Neal interaction with Donald Trump at UFC event upsets NBA fans

NBA and Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal was spotted at the UFC 314 PPV event alongside US President Donald Trump.

“He is MAGA?” – Shaquille O’Neal interaction with Donald Trump at UFC event upsets NBA fans

Shaquille O'Neal and Donald Trump

On Saturday evening, US President Donald Trump exchanged the Oval Office for the UFC Octagon. The President already became the first serving president to be present at a UFC event in 2019. Now, he repeated that when arrived to thunderous cheers at the Kaseya Center in Miami and taking part in the “walkout” customarily reserved for athletes. Notably, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal was also spotted in Miami.

Not only that, the two personalities also greeted each other and posed for pictures in front of the media, raising doubts over O’Neal’s political stance. Fans were quick to chime in on this topic, with some claiming O’Neal is ‘MAGA.’ However, the NBA legend has never made his stance clear on any political party/movement in recent years.

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For context, Donald Trump popularized the American political slogan “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) during his victorious 2016 presidential campaign. Hence, the recent meeting between the two personalities raised doubts. Interestingly, Trump attending a UFC event made headlines in and around the nation, especially as US President.

Although, per reports, Trump is known to be a huge admirer of UFC and has attended the event several times in the past. O’Neal also has made quite a few appearances at UFC PPV events to watch the violent sporting event.

Notably, the NBA legend is not a ‘big political guy’, which he once revealed on his podcast show. However, he does help local officials get elected. He claimed that he never voted until 2020. This clears out that the big man is not into politics so much. O’Neal also made it clear that he has no plans of entering into politics sooner or later.

Fans left annoyed after coming across Shaquille O’Neal and Donald Trump’s UFC octagon meet-up

As mentioned above, Shaquille O’Neal met with US President Donald Trump at the UFC event in Miami. In addition, Trump left after the featherweight title fight between Brazilian star Diego Lopes and Australian legend Alexander Volkanovski. On the arena floor, Trump was seen hugging basketball great Shaquille O’Neal, commentator Joe Rogan, and UFC CEO Dana White.

This led to controversial reactions from the NBA community. Many fans took to various social media apps and sites to put forward their views. One fan wrote on X, “WTAF Shaq is MAGA??? Huh who knew…” Check out some of the reactions below:

However, fans may be exaggerating here a bit as O’Neal is not much into politics. As Trump is now the US President, it is evident that O’Neal would greet him out of respect for his designation. Now, all eyes will drift onto O’Neal, should he choose to open up on this matter or choose to ignore it.

Shaquille O’Neal once ‘gifted’ Donald Trump a Rolls-Royce

Over the years, the NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is known for fancy and luxurious lifestyle. Back in 2005, US President Donald Trump married his then-fiancée Melania Trump. O’Neal was one among the 400 guests who were reportedly present at their wedding the same year.

The Lakers star even talked about his wedding present to the pair, according to the Herald-Tribune. Shaquille O’Neal said, “Phantom Rolls-Royce, a white one.” At the time, the enormous luxury vehicle would have cost an incredible $325,000.

The NBA legend also claimed the car would be parked at his house instead of Trump’s. Whether Trump used the vehicle is unknown. However, the gift was not given during the presidential campaign or in connection with any kind of endorsement.