Most NBA fans recognize Shaquille O'Neal as one of the most dominant forces that ever walked into the basketball world. And for a good reason, Shaq was a walking mismatch on the court as he could easily overpower anybody thrown at him, and that's a big reason why entire lineups trembled against O'Neal in his prime.
However, the newer generation of basketball enthusiasts, who weren't old enough to watch him shatter backboards in real time, mostly see him as a humorous analyst with no filter whatsoever.
But, what if we told you that The Big Diesel actually wanted to avoid being labeled as just a great player turned analyst, because he wanted to become something much more, well, bada-s.
"I want my book to be different from most retired players'," he said when he was 30. "I want people to say, 'Great high school player, great college player, great NBA player. And that sumbitch is a sheriff now!' I don't want them saying, 'Great player. That sumbitch is doing TNT now.'"
At the time Shaq made these claims, he was already on the downward slope of his Hall of Fame career. He had already won three consecutive championships and earned three Finals MVPs, but he was beginning to think about what life would look like once the dunks stopped and the sneakers were hung up. And interestingly, he had long been committed to supporting law enforcement.
On top of that, he actually served as a reserve officer in multiple agencies, including the Los Angeles Port Police and the Miami Beach Police Department, according to police1.com . So it is safe to say that he got a genuine taste of what being a sheriff feels like, at least to some degree.
However, being the all-around man that he is, O'Neal also embraced the role of an analyst, and he embraced it head-on. From TNT's Inside the NBA to numerous guest appearances and studio shows, even doing his own podcast recently, Shaq has always been entertaining, always ready with a joke, always prepared to lighten the mood. But at the same time, he never shies away from giving harsh criticism to players he believes need to hear it. That balance is really what makes him a fan favorite in this business.
Never say never might be the perfect saying for this situation. After all, this was not the first time O'Neal made his dream of being a bona fide sheriff known . Back when he shared the locker room with the late great Kobe Bryant during their time with the Los Angeles Lakers, O'Neal would often hang up his police uniform in his stall and quite literally wait for everyone to leave before putting it on. It was something that the 7'1" behemoth really enjoyed doing.
"Kobe was always there, watching me," the big man disclosed in his book. "He said to me, 'Why do you want to be a policeman?' and I said, 'I don't. I want to be a sheriff.'"
In the end, it seems that Shaq is all of the above. He is a policeman, a Hall of Famer, a legendary analyst and much, much more. And while the world may remember him for hanging on rims and shattering backboards, O'Neal was always focused on bigger goals.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 11, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
