Shaquille O’Neal said Friday that he plans to run for sheriff in 2020 – not for political reasons, but to bring "people closer together."
The NBA Hall of Famer was sworn in as a sheriff’s deputy last year, and now he’s ready to show people that this was no publicity stunt, HuffPost reported.
"In 2020, I plan on running for Sheriff," O’Neal told the Atlanta's WXIA-TV. "This is not about politics. This is about bringing people closer together. You know, when I was coming up, people love and respected the police, the deputies. And, I want to be the one to bring that back, especially in the community I serve."
The 45-year-old believes he has the ability to appeal to many different types of people, HuffPost noted.
"I can put on a suit and have a conversation with Bill Gates. I can go in the 'hood and talk to the homies, and talk to the children," O’Neal said.
O’Neal is a resident in both Georgia and Florida, but hasn’t decided yet which state he wants to run for sheriff in.
He does have an idea for a campaign slogan: "Shaq for sheriff! Back to the old school," HuffPost noted.
This comes after Shaq came to President Donald Trump’s defense in November 2016 after Trump won the election, according to The Hill.
At the time, O’Neal said Trump had won the presidency "fair and square" and that it was time for the American people "to give him a chance."
"We have a process that’s been going on forever," O’Neal said. "And whoever wins, you just hope he does what he says he’s going to do. You know, candidate Trump promised a lot of people a lot of things."
"Now that he’s president-elect, you just hope that he can make the world a better place," he added. "He won fair and square. We have to give him a chance. There’s no need talking about recounts and this and that."
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