What teams does Shaquille O'Neal root for?
Three teams are tied to Shaquille O'Neal, and only one of them rests on something he has said himself. That one is the Dallas Cowboys. The other two, Northampton Town of the English Football League and the Edmonton Oilers, come from a club video message and a passing mention in a media report, and neither amounts to a stated fandom in his own words.
Does Shaquille O'Neal like the Dallas Cowboys?
Yes, by his own account. Dallas News reported on September 20, 2017 that Deion Sanders asked O'Neal during an NFL Network interview whether the Cowboys were still his team. O'Neal answered, "Always, baby." The word "still" in the question suggests the fandom was already established by then, though nothing says when it began or where it came from.
The same fandom turned up again in 2022. EssentiallySports wrote on November 19, 2022 that on a podcast, O'Neal "revealed how he was a huge fan of the Dallas Cowboys." That makes the Cowboys his stated favorite, current in both 2017 and 2022.
The Cowboys won Super Bowl XII in 1978, after the 1977 season, the year O'Neal turned 6. That is a date alongside his age and nothing more.
What team did Shaquille O'Neal root for growing up?
No team he followed as a child is named, so the Cowboys are the only childhood-era possibility that can be placed in his timeline, and even that is an inference nobody has stated. What can be said is that his childhood was spent in motion. O'Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 6, 1972, and his family moved many times during his childhood, sometimes staying with relatives, including his grandmother in Jersey City. He went to Fulda American High School in Fulda, Germany, and later Robert G. Cole High School in San Antonio, Texas.
None of those places is Dallas, and nothing explains how a kid from Newark who passed through Germany and San Antonio ended up with the Cowboys. His NBA stops (Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami, Phoenix, Cleveland, Boston) don't line up with any of his three teams either.
Does Shaquille O'Neal like Northampton Town?
There is a connection, though it counts as a background tie and not a fandom he has stated in his own words. Bleacher Report wrote on February 15, 2016 that O'Neal "revealed in a YouTube message to Northampton Town that he's a surprise fan of the Cobblers." The video was posted on the club's official YouTube channel, as The18 noted the next day.
OffTheBall, also on February 16, 2016, explained where the link comes from: "The link between O'Neal and the club comes from his relationship with Northampton Town owner Kelvin Thomas." So the tie runs through a personal relationship with the owner, and the support was voiced in a club video message and relayed by writers. Nothing further shows it continuing past 2016 or ending.
Does Shaquille O'Neal like the Edmonton Oilers?
The Oilers connection is the thinnest of the three. Yardbarker, republishing a Hockey Latest piece on August 8, 2025, described him among those who "have expressed their Oilers affection." That wording comes from the writer, not from O'Neal, and there is no quote, interview or date of his own on the subject. It is best read as a reported tie, not a confirmed fandom.
What is Shaquille O'Neal's favorite NFL team?
The Dallas Cowboys. He is the only NFL team in his file, and his "Always, baby" answer to Sanders in 2017 is the clearest statement of loyalty in anything attributed to him.
Which other players root for the Cowboys?
O'Neal has company. Players who have said they are Cowboys fans in their own words include Luka Doncic, Allen Iverson, Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul, Tyrese Maxey, Cade Cunningham, Chris Bosh, Dennis Rodman and Julius Randle. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Russell Westbrook, Cooper Flagg and Paige Bueckers are reported as fans. LeBron James is listed as someone who used to be a fan.
Questions people ask
What is Shaquille O'Neal's favorite NFL team?
The Dallas Cowboys. When Deion Sanders asked him in 2017 whether they were still his team, he answered, "Always, baby."
What is Shaquille O'Neal's favorite soccer team?
The only soccer club tied to him is Northampton Town, and it is a background tie, not a stated fandom. Bleacher Report reported in February 2016 that he called himself a fan in a YouTube message to the club, and OffTheBall traced the link to his relationship with owner Kelvin Thomas.
Does Shaquille O'Neal like the Edmonton Oilers?
He has been linked to them, but only loosely. A 2025 Yardbarker piece, originally from Hockey Latest, included him among those who have expressed their Oilers affection, and he is not quoted on it.
Does Shaquille O'Neal like the Dallas Cowboys?
Yes. He said "Always, baby" in a 2017 NFL Network interview, and EssentiallySports reported in November 2022 that he described himself on a podcast as a huge fan.