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Shaquille O’Neal snubbed Kobe Bryant while describing his previous employment on the 2004 Miami Beach Police Department application

Raahib Singh
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"Not Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Not Magic Johnson": Shaquille O'Neal Once Criticized Lakers Legends for Letting His Feud With Kobe Bryant Brew

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal stated he did everything on the Los Angeles Lakers when asked about previous employment on the MBPD application

In 2004, the Los Angeles Lakers made a move everyone anticipated, yet many people didn’t digest. They decided they would split up Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Both the stars had grown into superstars, and each wanted to play the alpha role. This caused trouble on the court and in the locker room, and the team knew they had to do something about it.

In a surprising move, they traded Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat, where he paired up with yet another young guard in Dwyane Wade. Having learned from his past, Shaq decided to let Wade run the team his way and play the support/veteran role.

However, before Shaq even played a game for the Heat, he was busy applying for a job at the Miami Beach Police Department as a reserve officer. His application for the same is funnier than many stand-up comics nowadays.

Also Read: Shaquille O’Neal claimed he had no bank accounts on his Miami Beach Police Department application despite making $27.7 million that season

Shaquille O’Neal snubbed Kobe Bryant, claimed he did everything on the Lakers

The Miami Beach Police Department(MBPD) was a simple form that wanted to collect basic details from Shaq. However, the big man decided that he wanted to be a clown and filled his application answers that would’ve gotten others disqualified immediately.

When asked about his special skills, the big man wrote down, “Laptop computer, binnochulars [sic], master of surveillance.”

Further, when asked about his previous place of employment, the big man wrote,

Granted, Shaquille O’Neal was the driving force behind the Lakers’ 3-peat from 2000-2002, but discrediting Kobe like that?

Also Read: Shaquille O’Neal lost a $100 million business opportunity to Magic Johnson because of pre-conceived notions

Things between the two got better over time, and the duo became close again post retirement.

About the author

Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh

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Raahib Singh is an NBA Journalist and Content Strategist at The SportsRush. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, Raahib's passion for sports drew him towards TSR. He started playing basketball at 14 and has been following the NBA since 2013. His entry into the basketball world perfectly coincided with Stephen Curry putting the league on notice. Having followed the league for a long time, he decided to use his knowledge to become a sportswriter with The SportsRush in 2020. Raahib loves to put up some shots in his spare time, watch Cricket, Formula 1, and/or read a nice thriller.

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