Imagine being almost 50 and you haven\u2019t voted once! Shocking, right? But not for the basketball great Shaquille O\u2019Neal. 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\u2019 legend participated in electing the next president. So you may ask what about Shaq\u2019s 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 \u201cgood luck<\/em>\u201d during the inauguration.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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<\/em>.\u201d The Big Aristotle answered the question from the Fox News host about feelings about the country. But did he respond to Will Cain\u2019s question on which side of the color he is?<\/p>\n Well, no. Shaquille O\u2019Neal did not specify his allegiance or deep-dived into any issues. However, he revealed the duty that he continues to do for America. \u201cBut me, I try to use the things I am popular at and bring people popular and bring people together.<\/em>\u201d Back in 2016, when he was not an active voter, Shaq revealed the issues that Trump faced. \u201cDonald Trump speaks to an eclectic type audience\u2026 I just think he says it wrong.<\/em>\u201d At that time, the 4x NBA champion believed that POTUS statements were wrongly perceived.\u00a0\u201cDonald\u2019s like a straight-up guy. He\u2019s a straight-forward guy<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n His endorsement and political stance have changed in a way that he doesn\u2019t speak about them. Just like Michael Jordan, who refused to get into any political debate from the get-go<\/a>. In 2020, when he voted for the first time, Shaquille O\u2019Neal said, \u201cI\u2019m not saying I will never endorse anybody. I\u2019m just not going to talk about it<\/em>.\u201d That\u2019s why in his interview with Fox News<\/a>, Shaq did not allude to naming anybody. But there is more to his connection with Trump.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n 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\u2019Neal was one of the estimated 400 guests present at the wedding. As per the Herald-Tribune, the Lakers\u2019 legend even spoke about the wedding gift that he had for the couple. Curious?<\/p>\n via Imago<\/p>\nBasketball Shaquille O\u2019Neal and his gift to Donald Trump<\/h2>\n
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