O’Neal tells PEOPLE he found out about the engagement on social media “like everybody else”

Shaquille O’Neal; Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.Credit :  Mike Kirschbaum/Zuffa LLC/Getty;Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

Shaquille O’Neal says he “can’t wait” for his pal Travis Kelce to marry Taylor Swift.

O’Neal, 53, tells PEOPLE he found out about the engagement of the year on social media “like everybody else,” when Swift and Kelce, both 35, announced their happy news in a joint Instagram post on Aug. 26.

“I heard about it on the net, like everybody else, social media. I saw it, but a lot of times you can’t really believe it, so I reached out to a few people, and they said, ‘Yeah, it’s true,’ so it’s awesome. Can’t wait.”

“I’m happy for him. I know Travis personally,” O’Neal says, noting that he’s only “met Ms. Swift once,” before when they crossed paths at the 2024 Super Bowl in Las Vegas.

“Listen, I’m all for it. May they last forever,” he says of the newly engaged couple.

Shaquille O’Neal poses with Taylor Swift and Jamie Salter.Shaquille O’Neal/Instagram

Preparing to make the switch to ESPN when a new NBA season kicks off next month, O’Neal says he had a quiet but pleasant summer.

The highlight? “Just being able to see people smile and have a good time. I don’t really do much. I’ve had a lot of great shows and done a lot of great commercials… so I’m happy.”

Lately, the former NBA star has been keeping busy with his latest announcement for Shaq-A-Licious Gummies.

“I got some new ones coming out. It’s going to be an all-new sneaker shape, an iteration of all my iconic Shaq footwear sneakers that I’ve sold.

They come in three great flavors that I’ve tasted myself: mango, orange, lime green, and strawberry pomegranate, and I’m excited about it.”

Like O’Neal, his gummies are massive in size, a trait that helped him on the basketball court but also one that made “a lot of things” in his daily life difficult before he earned his fortune.

“I could never sit in coach. I always have to beg people for the exit seats. I couldn’t fit in doorways.

I couldn’t have the freshest clothes or the freshest sneakers that everybody had, and number one, no girl looked at me in high school,” he says with a laugh.