“Prince Charles Had to Save Me”: Shaquille O’Neal Almost Got Arrested in London But Was Saved by English Soccer Legend

Shaquille O’Neal’s larger-than-life personality is loved by all. Apart from his dominance on the court, O’Neal is known for his generosity, grand gestures, and pranks. The four-time NBA champ recently made an appearance in the Middle East for the first time during the pre-season encounter against the Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks. Shaquille O’Neal was chosen as the ambassador for the NBA 2022 Abu Dhabi Games and he received a warm welcome there. The 15-time All-Star had a lot of fun in Abu-Dhabi, unlike the time when he almost got arrested in London during a pre-season trip as a player. 

Shaquille O’Neal revealed that he almost got arrested in London by the Queen’s guards. One of his former teammates bet with Shaq that he would not be able to make the Queen’s guard jump. Shaq was visiting London and almost ended up getting arrested for his actions.

Shaquille O’Neal avoids being arrested

The three-time Finals MVP reckoned that the Queen’s guard looked quite disciplined. So, O’Neal tried to bump into one of the guards by accident. The Lakers legend said, ” I went into London and I almost got arrested. Prince Charles had to save me.”

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Following his notorious actions, the guards detained him when Shaq proclaimed that he was the David Beckham of America. O’Neal asked the guards to tell Prince Charles he did not mean any disrespect. Luckily, the comments about being at a similar level as the legendary English footballer saved Shaq.

A little while later someone came in and told him not to let it happen again. Shaq claimed the story to be true, but he was unsure if Prince Charles got the message that the NBA Hall of Famer sent.

O’Neal hopes to return to Abu Dhabi

Shaq had a much better time this time around in Abu Dhabi compared to London. He took a trip to modern landmarks like the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque and Qasr Al Watan Presidential Palace. Furthermore, Shaq went quad biking in the desert and raced around the Yas Marina F1 circuit.

Meanwhile, O’Neal hoped that the pre-season event could inspire Abu Dhabi to provide the world with the next NBA superstar. Shaq was impressed by the hospitality and deemed it the prettiest place he had been to since Singapore. The Big Diesel hoped to come back and find some real estate for himself in the future.

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Meanwhile, Shaq has a much better experience being the center of attention in Abu Dhabi. However, he would never forget the disastrous situation he found himself in as a player in London years ago.