Before taking the stage Oct. 23 at Circuit of the Americas after the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix, DJ Diesel, better known as the larger-than-life (and just large) Shaquille O'Neal, chatted with the American-Statesman and hinted at a possible remake of the widely panned but beloved superhero flick, "Steel."
Although the 1997 film is considered one of the worst superhero movies of the genre, and a point of laughter for Shaq, who wore the armor of DC Comics character John Henry Irons, the 7-foot-1-inch star said an updated version of the movie might be worth pursuing. Now, is he serious? We have no clue.
"I did that movie right before the special effects took off," Shaq said with a smile. "The (outfit) was like a costume. But if I ever get a chance to redo that movie I'm definitely ... Matter of fact, I'm going to redo 'Steel.' You heard it here first."
Here's a look at the rest of our conversation with the NBA Hall of Famer:
Shaq was pulling for Lewis Hamilton to take first place at Formula One.
Shaq talked about why he was back in Austin for a second year to perform as DJ Diesel after the Formula One race.
"It's great. There are a lot of people here, a lot of fanfare and I'm looking forward to seeing the race again. Hopefully, my guy (Lewis Hamilton) can pull it off, but it's just nice to see beer and sunny Austin, Texas and everybody having a good time. I love being here, it's a great atmosphere."
(Max Verstappen won after a "dynamic duel" with Hamilton.)
Shaq has a deep love for Austin.
Shaq's Big Chicken was at Formula One and has a year-round presence at Austin's Moody Center. He said he knew Austin was an ideal spot for the franchise because of the fond memories he has of visiting the Texas capital.
"Well, I'm from San Antonio. We used to come up to Sixth Street damn near every weekend. I've always loved Austin, and I've always loved Pflugerville. I told myself when I get done, I'll buy about 500 acres out in Pflugerville. But listen, Texas is a great state, Austin is a great city and the people here are (too). I've always done a lot of business here. I used to do business with Dell, so I used to come here a lot and I've always loved the people in Austin. My daughter once attended the University of Texas. ... So I wanted to put the Big Chickens in the cities where I had a presence."
Shaq picks Giannis to win MVP, Golden State to capture back-to-back championships.
With the 2022-2023 NBA season in full swing, Shaq made some early predictions for league MVP and said which team he thinks will hoist the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy at the end of the season. Spoiler: He didn't pick my Cleveland Cavaliers.
"I thought Joel Embiid was going to come out the MVP, but now he just made it harder with that 0-3 start," he said. "Giannis (Antetokounmpo) is looking really good. Forty-four points in 28 minutes. I'm headed toward Giannis. The guards always get looked at for MVP, but I'll go with Giannis this year. And the (Golden State Warriors) seem to still be the favorite."
So no hope for my Cleveland Cavaliers?
"Cleveland looks good," he said. "They got Donovan Mitchell who's playing well. Cleveland will be good for him. It's a city that's a hard-working city, and they'll let him know when he's out there messing around. I think that will bring the best out of him. The (Utah Jazz) was too 'Aw,' but every now and then you need to look in the stands and see your fans disappointed so you know to step your game up. "
– Austin 360