Shaquille O’Neal would have become a full-time cop if he hadn’t pursued basketball. The loyal Dallas Cowboys fan could have been the perfect man to be on the grid. Rather than dwelling on what he could have been, the 4x NBA champ has always focused on just doing it! O’Neal entertained the fans by playing the role of a police officer in famed actor Adam Sandler’s movie, Grown Ups 2. So, is he an actual police officer?

Our Big Aristotle also served as a law enforcement officer. He had the opportunity to attend the Los Angeles County’s Reserve Academy. Following this, the 4x NBA champ began his work as a reserve officer for the LA Port Police. He was a truly legendary man. The Big Aristotle was always fascinated with the police’s uniform. The Lakers legend was named the honorary US Deputy Marshall. 

With his squad, his work was to look for se*ual predators online. “It’s very disturbing to see that anyone would want to harm a child, especially in a se*ual manner, very, very disturbing,” the Lakers legend said to Good Morning America about his work. Just like his work on the court, the 4x NBA champ was equally devoted to the job that paid him $1.

Well, the same year, in 2005, he was traded to the Miami Heat. That didn’t stop his services. He became the reserve officer of the Miami Beach Police Department. The 7’ 1″ was also part of crucial operations there.

Even if he wasn’t included in the SWAT team, he was part of a raid in Bedford County. His character in the movie Grown Ups, Officer Fluzoo must be proud of him. Because his fans definitely are. It’s safe to say that as a reserve officer, he had numerous fun, odd, and sometimes eye-opening incidents.

Shaquille O’Neal’s bizarre encounter with fan

Being a Lakers basketball player also helped him save lives. Back in 2005, he met a Lakers fan during his duty who was in possession of firearms. This was quite a risky situation. While O’Neal didn’t have to do anything as heroic as in Bedford County, his fame saved him.

The man with firearms didn’t engage in a shootout because he was a fan of O’Neal. Now, this is how we want fame to come in handy. This was even before his retirement. 

The NBA legend built his basketball career while seizing every opportunity to achieve greatness off the court. And, he also got the chance to explore a career in law enforcement and music. He joined as a reserve officer in Florida as well as Georgia. Back in 2023, he returned to L.A. for a very critical task. 

O’Neal shot the most iconic recruitment video 

He joined a few police officers to shoot a special recruitment video. In the clip, we see O’Neal and the officers trying to catch the bad guy. As they finally tackled him, O’Neal concluded the video by saying, “Team is more important than any one of us. If you have what it takes to join the Los Angeles Port Police, come on down. It’s time to dive in.”

“Big thanks to @SHAQ for his continued support for law enforcement and spending time with his old police department,” Port Police wrote on X formerly called Twitter. He is part of another law enforcement initiative now as well.

However, being a cop didn’t mean he had to leave his kindness behind. He also once joined hands with Bill Gates and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America to create online safety programs for underprivileged children. The project also included introducing technology to classrooms.

And who doesn’t remember O’Neal playing pickup ball with Gainesville officer Bobby White? The officer went viral for playing basketball along with kids against whom he received the noise complaint.

“The street game with those kids really stuck with me. It’s all about building friendships and bringing people together. I’m happy to come back, see old friends, and help the City of Gainesville bring holiday cheer with a community parade,” O’Neal said when he brought the officer and the kids out for another round.

Shaquille O’Neal is no longer a cop. But he has done his best to do justice to his job. Just recently, Gainesville named the Los Angeles Lakers legend to lead the Holiday Parade in 2024. He has always served ceremonial roles for various events, parades, and festivities, and is looking forward to the upcoming event. 

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.