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Shaquille O’Neal visits Big Chicken in Renton

Published 2:01 pm Tuesday, June 23, 2026

By Bailey Jo Josie bailey.jo.josie@soundpublishing.com

Photos by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing Shaquille O’Neal with Mayor Armondo Pavone and his sons Roman and Dominic.
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Photos by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing

Shaquille O’Neal with Mayor Armondo Pavone and his sons Roman and Dominic.

Photos by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing Shaquille O’Neal with Mayor Armondo Pavone and his sons Roman and Dominic.
Big Chicken staff were beyond excited to meet the Big Aristotle, DJ Diesel himself, Shaq.
Shaquille O’Neal took photos with many people at the Big Chicken in Renton on June 21. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.
Shaquille O'Neal took photos with many people at the Big Chicken in Renton on June 21. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.

With a line that extended around part of The Landing in Renton, fans from all walks of life waited for their chance to see NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal.

Over three years after the highly-anticipated opening day of O’Neal’s restaurant Big Chicken at 921 N. 10th St., in Renton, the man behind the delicious menu items and at the heart of the growing franchise made his first visit to the restaurant on June 21.

The 7-foot-1 O’Neal was in Seattle for a June 20 performance at Pioneer Square under his music alias DJ Diesel and decided to add a stop at Washington state’s first official stand-alone Big Chicken, where he met the restaurant’s staff, local food reviewers and influencers and Renton Mayor Armando Pavone and his family. He took selfies with countless fans.

The event, which was promoted on social media the night before, took place on Father’s Day and O’Neal was accompanied by his son Shareef O’Neal, who played in the NBA G League a few years ago.

Shaquille O’Neal played in the NBA from 1991 to 2011. He played with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. He was a four-time NBA champion and 15-time all-star. He was a college star at Louisiana State University.

While the big meet-up at Big Chicken was set to begin at 3 p.m., many fans showed up at the North 10th Street location as early as 6 a.m. The restaurant’s kitchen had shut down during the free meet-and-greet event, but Big Chicken owner David Jones and his team could be seen handing out free chicken tenders to fans as they waited in the massive line.

Big Chicken has more than 300 locations, according to its website. Its other Washington locations are North Seattle, Mukilteo and inside Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center.

Big Chicken in Renton is open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. To learn more about the menu and other locations, visit bigchicken.com.

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