Shaquille O’Neal Is Taking Over the Winter Olympics — and Brought 20 Pairs of Underwear to Milan in Preparation (Exclusive)
- - Shaquille O’Neal Is Taking Over the Winter Olympics — and Brought 20 Pairs of Underwear to Milan in Preparation (Exclusive)
Natasha DyeFebruary 18, 2026 at 2:38 AM
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Shaquille O'Neal in Milan, Italy on Feb. 17, 2026
Shaq/Instagram
Shaquille O'Neal says he brought 20 pairs of underwear for his trip to the 2026 Winter Olympics
The retired NBA star shares what he's been up to the first two days he's been in Milan, including eating pizza, pasta and visiting FAO Schwartz
O'Neal says he was "surprised" after being recognized by a group of Italian fans
Shaquille O'Neal came to Milan prepared for anything.
O'Neal, 53, touched down in Italy on Sunday to help Lilly launch their Team USA Athlete Recovery Program alongside Winter Olympians Madison Chock and Erin Jackson, and he tells PEOPLE on Tuesday, Feb. 17 that he brought too much from home — especially underwear.
"I overpacked, I'm a panicker," says O'Neal. "I always start with the underwear, and for some reason I thought I was going to be here for 10 days so I brought 20 underwear and 20 tank tops, then I've got an extra five in case I work out."
Also on O'Neal's packing list is "five pairs of jeans, plus sweats, and about 20 of these beautiful Lilly red tops."
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On his first day in Milan, O'Neal visited the Olympic Village. "I met all the athletes, but my favorites were Erin Jackson and Madison [Chock]," he says.
A stop at the toy store FAO Schwartz was also on O'Neal's itinerary on his first day, and then he enjoyed a "walk around the town" before it was time for some pizza.
"I tasted three versions of pizza," he says, adding that his favorite was cheese with bell peppers, "went to a couple of pasta places, and went to a couple of bars last night."
Shaquille O'Neal on Dec. 14, 2024 in Las Vegas
Ethan Miller/Getty
O'Neal was also recognized by a group of Italian fans, which came as a surprise to the former NBA star. "I'm actually surprised that the Italian people know who I am," he says. "I was walking yesterday and little kids started crying like nine, 10 years old."
A gold medalist himself (O'Neal won with Team USA at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta), he admits he's likely not cut out for success in any of the Winter Olympic events.
"If I was to be a winter Olympian, it'd definitely have to be curling," he says. "The crazy thing is I don't know the rules of the game, but I just like how those three guys go and they just do it and it looks good and it hits the other thing."
He'd also be open to luge, but says skeleton, "the one where you go head first," is a hard pass. "I couldn't do that," says O'Neal.
Figure skating is also likely out of O'Neal's hypothetical Winter Olympics pursuit, because, "I think it's fair to say if you stink at roller skating, you probably stink at ice skating."
And O'Neal claims he "super stinks" at roller skating. "Charles Barkley stinker," he says, teasing his Inside the NBA co-host.
During his trip, O'Neal says he's looking forward to watching figure skating, even though it makes him "anxious that if you don't get the right height on a turn, you're going to fall," and hockey. "I always wanted to check out the mindset of those athletes," he says.
While he's meeting and greeting the Winter Olympians in Milan, O'Neal says he's not offering advice, but rather sharing his own stories. "I just try to tell stories and hopefully they can get something from those because when it comes to advice, I don't sound like an expert on certain situations, so I just like to tell stories."
Shaquille O'Neal on Jan. 10, 2025 in Texas
David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Through his Lilly partnership, O'Neal is encouraging Olympians and fans to prioritize physical and mental wellbeing through the Team USA Athlete Recovery Program. "They were talking to me about how they rest and recover, and we're just trading stories because I've been an athlete for a long time and I've dealt with injuries, but always had the ability to rest and recover and get back to the game," says O'Neal.
After his trip to Milan, the beloved big guy is headed to Mexico to play a show under his DJ name, DJ Diesel, as well as "some other business" before he heads back to the ESPN booth for the rest of the NBA season.
To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, come to people.com to check out ongoing coverage before, during and after the games. Watch the Milan Cortina Olympics and Paralympics, beginning Feb. 6, on NBC and Peacock.
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
