Let’s be honest for a second. Even if you’re not an NBA fan or a basketball fan, you know who Shaquille O’Neal is. Moreover, you can recognize the Los Angeles Lakers legend even if you’re two blocks away.
But even for someone as famous, wealthy, and influential as The Big Diesel, there are still limits and boundaries. And getting close to the President of the United States is one of the few that pop to mind.
That’s why the four-time NBA Champion had such a tough time trying to give his shoes to former POTUS Barack Obama, as he recently said in an interview for Complex’s Sneaker Shopping.
Shaq Tried To Meet Barack Obama And Failed Twice
(Transcript via Fadeaway World)
“I was in the area. I was there. What happened was I was there but I didn’t have clearance. And I didn’t want to use my powers. Because I wanted to hand-deliver him the shoe. I met him but I didn’t meet him. One time I was in DC and I tried to flex my powers. Went to the gate. ‘Hey, tell Obama Shaq is here. I showed them my police badge. They said ‘Shaq we love you’ but all this. So as I’m walking away, I get a phone call from a strange number. I say ‘hello’? It’s the president. I said ‘Mr. Obama, how’d you get my number?’. He said ‘Come on, Shaq, I’m the President’.”
“… I finally met him. He invited me to this thing he did at the White House. But I was 0-2 in just trying to use my powers to meet him.”
Imagine Shaq going through this just to get to know YOU. I mean, it just doesn’t get any cooler than that. That’s how you knowthat you have the best job in the world.
