Imagine being almost 50 and you haven’t voted once! Shocking, right? But not for the basketball great Shaquille O’Neal. During the 2020 elections, Shaq revealed that he exercised his right to vote for the first time. The past year was the second time when the Lakers’ legend participated in electing the next president. So you may ask what about Shaq’s political stance? Well, it has changed over the years and recently shared a cryptic message. But his best friend, Charles Barkley, had openly endorsed Kamala Harris and wished Trump “good luck” during the inauguration.

“I think we have a lot of big-time people and if everyone does their part, you know. Of course, you will always have left and right, you will always gonna have on and off. You will always have certain things.” The Big Aristotle answered the question from the Fox News host about feelings about the country. But did he respond to Will Cain’s question on which side of the color he is?

Well, no. Shaquille O’Neal did not specify his allegiance or deep-dived into any issues. However, he revealed the duty that he continues to do for America. “But me, I try to use the things I am popular at and bring people popular and bring people together.” Back in 2016, when he was not an active voter, Shaq revealed the issues that Trump faced. “Donald Trump speaks to an eclectic type audience… I just think he says it wrong.” At that time, the 4x NBA champion believed that POTUS statements were wrongly perceived. “Donald’s like a straight-up guy. He’s a straight-forward guy.”

His endorsement and political stance have changed in a way that he doesn’t speak about them. Just like Michael Jordan, who refused to get into any political debate from the get-go. In 2020, when he voted for the first time, Shaquille O’Neal said, “I’m not saying I will never endorse anybody. I’m just not going to talk about it.” That’s why in his interview with Fox News, Shaq did not allude to naming anybody. But there is more to his connection with Trump.

Shaquille O’Neal and his gift to Donald Trump

Two decades ago, when Shaq was still hooping, Trump would show up at the games. Even during his Heat tenure in 2005, Donald Trump was alongside his then-fiancee Melania Trump. The same year they got married and Shaquille O’Neal was one of the estimated 400 guests present at the wedding. As per the Herald-Tribune, the Lakers’ legend even spoke about the wedding gift that he had for the couple. Curious?

“Phantom Rolls-Royce, a white one,” Shaq stated about the massive luxury car, which at the time would cost a hopping $325,000. “It’ll be parked at my house when he wants to use it.” It’s unclear whether Trump used the car. But one thing is clear, the gift was not during the presidential elections campaign or any type of endorsement.

Who knew then that Donald Trump would become the President of the United States one day? But Shaq doesn’t publicize his affiliation with Trump much anymore. He keeps his political opinions private most often and refuses to make a public endorsement. The big man has admirers from both sides, and it makes no sense for him to offend one for another, and yes, in his own words, “Think a lot of times you say, this suit is blue I say it is navy but we won’t fight about it you think it is blue I think it is navy, okay we move on.”