Shaquille O’Neal Says He’ll Run For Sheriff in 2020, Doesn’t Say Where

Former basketball star Shaquille O’Neal has said that he will run to become a Sheriff in 2020 although he does not know where it will be.

Speaking to WXIA in Atlanta, O’Neal was first asked if he would consider running for Mayor of Atlanta – O’Neal has recently helped out around the community, including buying out a 60-year-old Krispy Kreme that was going out of business.

“Mayor, no, I would never run for mayor,” O’Neal told 11Alive News on Friday. “In 2020, I plan on running for Sheriff.”

The basketball player and TV personality has little to no law enforcement experience – although he is an honorary deputy in Clayton County, Georgia. To make up for this, O’Neal plans on surrounding himself with people who do know what to do.

“I know how to run a team,” the four-time NBA Champion said. “My style is going to be to surround myself with guys who have been doing it way longer than I’ve been doing it. Surrounding myself with smarter people.

While he hasn’t decided where he will run, he has decided why.

“This is not about politics. This is about bringing people closer together. You know, when I was coming up, people loved and respected the police, the deputies. And I want to be the one to bring that back, especially in the community I serve.”

O’Neal grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and in San Antonio, Texas, but currently has residency in Georgia and Florida. Should he choose to run in Georgia, the current Sheriff in Shaq’s district will up for re-election in 2020.

Watch O’Neal discuss running for Sheriff below.