Shaquille O'Neal Joins Florida Cop to Surprise Kids in Viral Pick-Up Game
A new video with more than 115,000 views shows Shaq surprising the kids.
— -- You could call it a slam dunk case.
When Gainesville, Florida, police officer Bobby White responded to a complaint about a group of kids playing basketball too loudly in the street on Jan. 15, he cried foul.
"Can you believe someone is calling to complain about kids playing basketball in the street? I obviously don’t have a problem with it," White can be heard saying in the dashcam video that has gone viral with more than 15 million views on the Gainesville police Facebook page.
Police Officer Has Surprising Response to Complaint of Kids 'Disrupting' Neighbors
The video of the officer's street ball surprise with the hashtag #HoopsNotCrime quickly went viral, even catching the attention of another very big basketball fan.
Three-time NBA Finals MVP Shaquille O'Neal was humbled by the officer's reaction to the boys and went to the police station on Saturday to surprise Officer White, and offered to back him up in a rematch.
"Are you kidding me?" a shocked White said as Shaq entered the room.
"It was unbelievable," White later told ABC News of the surprise.
"You’re much taller than you look on TV," he told the former NBA star as he shook his hand.
When the police officers showed back up to the neighborhood where the boys had been playing, they couldn't believe their eyes when O'Neal got out of the car.
"I told you I was going to bring in some backup, right?" White told the kids, fulfilling his promise from the first time he responded to the noise complaint call.
"Holy crap, it's you," one the boys said as O'Neal walked up to the makeshift court.
The NBA legend gave the kids the pick-up game of a lifetime and one heck of a free-throw challenge before ending with a huddle and some invaluable advice.
"I'll tell you a secret that will change your life," O'Neal told the boys. "You know how much money I made? $700 million. You know how I made that? Respecting my peers, listening to my mama and daddy and focusing on school."
After that, he made the kids repeat after him.
"I will become whatever I want to be," they said together as a group. "I will be a leader and not a follower. I will respect my peers and my elders and especially my parents.
"All right, love you guys," O'Neal said.
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