DJ Khaled met Birdman and Lil Wayne while working at a record shop in New Orleans during the early days of Cash Money. He went on to become a battle-tested DJ and an esteemed radio presence in Miami. Before making a name for himself in Miami, he went back to Orlando, where he had attended high school, and enjoyed a brief tenure as a ball boy for the Orlando Magic. He recalls the experience and the motivation it gave him in a clip taken from a recent interview with REVOLT.
"I used to sell my mixtapes back in the locker rooms to the players," says Khaled of his days with the Magic. "You know, every time an NBA player pulled up in the parking lot, they were bumping that DJ Khaled." One of those players happened to be Shaquille O'Neal. "It was a great experience for me," says Khaled, "'cause I got to see these guys come from the bottom, like when Shaq first got signed to Orlando." To this day, he maintains that he and Shaq carry a mutual respect as they've watched each other grow since the beginning stages of their careers.
