Posted on 06/11/2004 7:04:09 PM PDT by domino101
Officer Shaq O'Neal -
An Exclusive interview By Elie Seckbach Embedded NBA Correspondent - with the NBA Superstar and his police unit. http://hometown.aol.com/elienews/myhomepage/profile.html
We all know that Los Angeles Lakers star Shaq O'neal is a great basketball player. He is 7-foot-1, 360 pounds of pure power. We also know he can rap, act, tell jokes and is an all around entertaining individual.
Still here's something few people know about Shaq. All season long the NBA superstar has been wearing two uniforms.
During the day he's the biggest big man in the league, wearing number 34 for the Los Angeles Lakers, while during the nights and weekends he puts on another uniform, one of a police officer.
With a silver name tag which reads Privet O'neal. For the first time, Shaq is talking openly about being an active officer with the Los Angeles Port Police. "Those are my real teammates and I love them. They are very honest and hard working people." He told me as he was wearing a Port Police hat.
Those working with him say Shaq is pretty serious about his law enforcement career and following his basketball days he hopes to become the Sheriff of either Louisiana or Florida.
Lt. Titus Smith of the Port Police calls Shaq Officer O'neal: "He actually gets out there and does it. He's a very good officer. Once he leaves the game he will stay here."
Lt. Smith then went on about how people react when they get polled over by Officer O'neal. "What is really funny about it is when you see the reaction that the public has to him when it actually dawns on them that's Shaquille O'neill doing a traffic stop... or is giving them legal advice."
Lt. Smith went on talking about the time he was on the beat with Officer O'neal. They had just polled over a driver who had a little too much to drink: "Officer O'neal approached the driver to explain him his rights. And the driver, who was on the border of the drinking legal limit, started clapping, and hitting his leg, yelling, what's that boy's name? what's that boy's name? did anyone ever tell you, you look just like that basketball player... What's his name? Shaq? And Officer O'neal, just played it off, saying he has heard that, but that's not him."
Another Port Policeman who works with O'neal is Officer Tom Yamamoto who is with the K-9 unit. Yamamoto is one of the officers who helped train Shaq for his police work: "Shaq, Officer O'neal, is very polite. He has good common sense and makes good judgments. He is a very good Officer."
Yamamoto added that during the dog drills, where they have the K-9 dog bite a policeman dressed as a suspect Shaq wanted to be the suspect and have the dog bite him. The only problem, there was no protective suit in his size, so in the end they just wraped Shaq's arm and had the dog bite that.
"Shaq likes the dog, each time he sees me he asks, how's your dog doing? He then comes over and pets it."
The Officers at the Port Police do catch the Lakers game but not at the Staples Center. They do it while on the job, listening on the radio or during their breaks, when they stop by the station.
I asked Shaq how is he able to maintain a balance, from being the NBA All-Star, who is the best basketball player in the world to being a Privet O'neal at the Port Police? Shaq looked me right in the eye, released his million dollar smile, where the left side of the mouth goes up before the right side and said:
"Over there Eli, I am just a boot, those guys take care of me and I take care of them and I'll be there very soon."
Elie Seckbach is an award winning journalist http://hometown.aol.com/elienews/myhomepage/profile.html
No, he can't act. He can't rap. And he can't tell jokes. He should stick to basketball. If he gets another stupid bone in his head, he might try a talk show.
Tell him to put on his Seat Belt or we get really really upset and have to collect Taxes / uh I mean.. um Fines, it's for their own good, we have to save them from themselves. Oh but we don't do that do we.
KMA... anti Nanny Cop Rant
Make everyone a Cop! Issue everyone a weapon, I have this gut feeling that we will "all get along" just fine. But nope you idiots want to...
Give Sports Stars, Movie Stars and Politicicians (those folks that know better than you), Weapons, just Arm them, Disarm us and YOU Idiots can FEEL Safer for it.
Go Dial 911 and leave me alone, my weapon will be the one that you peel outta my fingers, AH Wanna be MF&5%PS low life in your M!@4A POS till I Die and then the posse will Get ya in a drive by anyway. AUGGGH Dean Scream!!!
Did I say Shaq can KMA? WHOOOA Deeaaan SCRREEEEAAAAAM
Man that PMO big time!!!!!!
The awards arent for proper spelling or punctuation usage, I gather. Couldnt find the article through the link, but did find a mention of it...JFK
Beet me two it.
FMCDH(BITS)
Wow! Shaq can do it all! We should have him be Chairman of the Federal Reserve, too.
Those of us in Detroit don't feel he's all that at basketball, either.
GO PISTONS!!!
Hint-smoke the crack after you post.
Hey there.
Don't know about that, just thought the story was unique.
Hey there.
Don't know about that, just thought the story was unique.
But has he been to Vietnam and gotten a Purple Heart?
"But has he been to Vietnam and gotten a Purple Heart?"
Dunno, but it's never too late. Ship him over there and have him write up a BSM and 3 Purple Hearts should he receive some minor lacerations from dunking over Charlie and smashing the backboard.
One thing is for sure, my star-struck admiration for this man makes me think he is absolutely capable in everything that he does whether it be rebounding, receiving Purple Hearts for injuries which allow him to be "Returned to Duty", or deciding interest rates.
You guys are missing the point in this article.
Here's a multimillion-dollar athlete doing something nice for the community while setting an example for young adults.
Shaq doesn't NEED to go out and help, yet he does and therefor he deserves all the credit.
We all should encourage this, especially in this day and
age when most people are self-centered.
Perhaps when you guys graduate junior high you'll mature a little.
Can you name another world class athlete that has given back to the community other that Shaq?
No. So there you have it.
I don't think race should have a place...
If someone is a great individual - he's a great individual he can be, jewish, white, black, asian - whatever.
Why should the race matter?
I can't give you a good reason.
But that's like in 5 years!
Just having a little fun. It's fine what Shaq's doing. I'm just still bitter because "Shazaam" was such waste of my $5.
"Can you name another world class athlete that has given back to the community other that Shaq?"
Magic.
That's just the most obvious. There are countless examples.
Fair enough... these days you just never know - some
people online are a bit out there...
Shaq is a class act
D'oh! You got me!!!...:-)...JFK
I agree.
I'm a Detroit native living in Indianapolis.
Choosing between the Pistons and the Pacers was tough, but you gotta go with your home team.
My thoughts exactly. Why the criticism? The first part of this thread, at least, sounds like a bunch of DU'ers.
Nor can he hit free throws with any consistency. But then again, neither could (the much greater) Wilt Chamberlain (RIP).
Thanks for sharing this.
any time - we should always look for the positive to much negative stories out there
If true, this is way cool.
yea this is true and very cool...
there's only one shaq...
that's why it was posted to let people know
Uh-huh.
true - that he devotes his time to the LAPD - true
Of course and we never heard of pat tillman until he died.
He was a hero. Here we got a chance to hear about shaq and his love for the law.
Maybe not, but his dad is retired from the Army so he might have one.
Shaq's dad was an army man for many years and shaq
grew up on the base. He's a real role model.
First, his ego won't be able to handle the pay cut. Second, some nutcase would make him a target just to say he "got" O'Neal. However, if he pulled me over and said, "Step out of the car, please", I think I'd comply.
Certainly Tillman may not have been known by as many (I knew of him as a football fan) as Shaq. But the NFL is world class sports and he left it for service.
I've been following Shaq's career for year he has no ego. He does not need any more money, I know he does lots for people in South Central L.A. and Newark, NJ.
Who wouldn't listen to a 7'1 cop?
This article is shows that not every pro athlete is selfish.
shaq is a mench.
This article shows that not every pro athlete is selfish.
Shaq's a mench.
This article shows that not every pro athlete is selfish.
But I understand he can't represent the US in the Olympics?
And he can't shoot free throws. (Which probably will end up costing him at least five years off of his NBA career in the end because of all the abuse he takes because opponents want to force him to go to the line.)
They have 82 games, 20 playoff games and pre season camp that opens in july...
that's a load...
he should be able to take the summer off...
there are lots of player who can play for the us team.
Is this article for real? Just too many typo's and questionable points. It has got my red flag raised in being legit. Sheriff of a state, yeah right.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.