Who Is 7’1 Shaquille O’Neal’s Bodyguard And How Did They Meet?

Who did Shaquille O’Neal hire to be his bodyguard and how did the two men meet? 

Saying Shaquille O’Neal is a giant of a man is quite the understatement. The Los Angeles Lakers legend stands at an astounding 7’1 in height while his weight has fluctuated between 325lbs to 375lbs over the years. It’s safe to say that if there was one man in the NBA landscape who didn’t need protection, it was Shaq. 

‘The Big Aristotle’ however, has never been all too aggressive of a guy. Sure, he did display moments of anger both while playing in the league or in the NBAonTNT studio. But, for the most part, O’Neal has been quite the jolly giant over the decades. 

Kevin Garnett once claimed that the NBA is lucky that Shaq was raised right. If he wasn’t, the league would’ve had to deal with a whole other Shaquille O’Neal. 

So, with O’Neal being the size that he is, who could possibly be his bodyguard?

Also read: “If you don’t have killer instinct, how (do) you get 38,000 points?”: Shaquille O’Neal commends LeBron James 

Does Shaquille O’Neal have a bodyguard and how did they meet? 

The most prominent bodyguard in Shaq’s life is a man named Jerome Crawford. Crawford stands at a solid 6’3 and weighs 250lbs and acts as a security coordinator for the 4x NBA champion. The two met in 1998 when Shaq was working as a police officer and have been working with one another ever since. 

O’Neal would go on to say that he treats Jerome like family, claiming he ‘keeps me going’. He would also go on to admit that there are only two men in his life he’s ever feared: his father, who he calls Butchie, and Jerome Crawford. 

Despite being nearly a foot shorter than Shaq, Jerome clearly does a great job of keeping the Hall of Famer secure given the fact that he’s been working with him for as long as he has. 

Who else has Shaquille O’Neal hired to be his bodyguard? 

Another man who Shaquille O’Neal has put his trust in before is a man named Adam Plant. He appreciated Plant’s services so much that he put up a post on Instagram shouting him out, saying if anybody needed a bodyguard in Las Vegas or Los Angeles, they should hit him up. 

Plant is certainly someone who fits the description of what a bodyguard should look like, standing 6’7 and actually weighing heavier than Shaq himself (when Shaq slims down that is) at 350lbs.

Also read: Was $400 Million Shaquille O’Neal Caught in 4k Lying About the Price of His $55,000 Bike?