Retired NBA superstar announces that he will run for sheriff in 2020

Legendary retired NBA superstar-turned-basketball-analyst Shaquille O'Neal announced last week that he wants to run for sheriff in 2020.

O'Neal told WXIA-TV that he plans to run for the public servant position because he wants to bring his community closer together and cool tensions surrounding the law enforcement community.

"This is not about politics. This is about bringing people closer together," O'Neal said. "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 also boasted his ability to relate to people from all different walks of life, expressing that the skill would serve him well as sheriff.

"I'm a guy that speaks all languages. I can put on a suit and have a conversation with Bill Gates. I can go in the hood and talk to the homies, and talk to the children," he said, WXIA reported.

O'Neal has a long history of volunteer work with law enforcement. He has worked as a reserve deputy for several law enforcement departments, and was even sworn in as an honorary deputy in Clayton County, Georgia, in December 2016.

Though he doesn't have much experience beyond that, O'Neal said he knows enough to succeed.

"I know how to run a team," he said, the station reported. "My style is going to be to surround myself with guys who have been doing it way longer than I’ve been doing it. Surround myself with smarter people."

The incumbent in Henry County, Georgia, where O'Neal has a residence, is up for re-election in 2020, but O'Neal also takes up residence in Florida. He did not specify which location he aspired to serve, but he did make the announcement to an Atlanta news station.