Shaquille O’Neal not worried about cops because ‘I show respect’

In an interview with Esquire, Shaquille O'Neal opened up about his feelings on the debate surrounding police brutality.

Nov 3, 2016

In an interview with Esquire, Shaquille O’Neal opened up about his feelings on the debate surrounding police brutality as well as the protests on the national anthem sparked by Colin Kaepernick.

When asked about Kaepernick, Shaq said, “You’ve got the right to voice your opinion. But my advice is to his followers: Don’t just do it when it’s convenient. And don’t do it to get your followers up. If you’re going to do it, do it like the ones before you have done it from day one.”

“I saw somebody compared him to Muhammad Ali, which is ludicrous. Muhammad Ali was fighting for a bigger cause since he was Cassius Clay. Every day. So I’ve never seen Kaepernick do anything in the community—I don’t really know him, but to each his own. Everybody has their voice, especially now with social media. A lot of people have these tweets, and they just want to say something when it’s convenient. But I don’t know if he said anything with Eric Garner, and all those others,” he continued.

Asked about the national conversation surrounding police brutality, he said, “All police ain’t bad, just like all athletes ain’t bad.”

–Shaquille O’Neal buys Krispy Kreme franchise in Atlanta–

“We all have the letter of the law to follow. And if you don’t follow that, it shouldn’t always be a reflection of who you work for or who you’re with. Are there some bad policemen? Of course. Guaranteed there are. And hopefully they’re tried and brought to justice.”

He then spoke to his own interactions with police, saying, “When I get stopped by the cops, I’m not worried. And it has nothing to do with being Shaq. You know why? I show respect. ‘Yes, sir. No, sir.’ That’s how I was taught. I was raised by a drill sergeant, and that’s who I am. Doesn’t matter if it’s a black guy, white guy, whatever. I’m not going to make it uncomfortable for you, because I don’t want it uncomfortable for me. There’s not going to be any talking back—none of that.”

In fact, Shaq said, he got in trouble with his father for not showing that respect.

“One time the police were messing with us, and I disrespected them. Oh, that was the worst thing I could have ever done. My father grabbed me by my collar, tugged me back, and said, ‘Don’t you ever disrespect these men. They’re here to protect us. You listen to them. You say, “Yes, sir. No, sir.” And if he’s not right, if he’s doing stuff out of spite, just obey the letter of the law. Then you come and see me, and I’ll handle it.’ So from that day on, I didn’t disrespect the police anymore.”

You can check out the rest of the interview, in which Shaq speaks about the state of the NBA as well as his new Krispy Kreme store, here.