Shaquille O’Neal was named an honorary FBI special agent Thursday, and he closed his remarks at the ceremony by telling the audience to arrest Charles Barkley.
FBI Director Kash Patel presented the honor at the graduation of Session 299 of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. O’Neal went through the session alongside 265 law enforcement officials from around the country.
As he wrapped up his speech, O’Neal turned to his longtime “Inside the NBA” co-host.
“If you see Charles Barkley, arrest him,” O’Neal said, in video shared by Legion Hoops.
Patel announced the honor on X. He described O’Neal as one of the best supporters of law enforcement in the country and said the Hall of Famer had graduated with the session.
The title is honorary. It does not make O’Neal a sworn special agent or give him investigative authority, TheGrio reported.
The National Academy is also separate from the FBI’s training program for new agents. The bureau runs it as a 10-week professional course, mainly for experienced law enforcement leaders, covering leadership, academics and physical fitness.
O’Neal’s ties to law enforcement go back more than two decades.
In 2005, while playing for the Miami Heat, he was sworn in as a reserve officer with the Miami Beach Police Department after completing training.
That September, during his reserve training, O’Neal followed a car whose passengers had thrown a glass bottle at two men walking together in Miami Beach, according to reporting from the Miami New Times. He radioed police dispatch and helped officers locate the suspect.
O’Neal has served in reserve and community roles with several other departments since.
On the court, the Orlando Magic drafted him No. 1 overall in 1992. He played 19 seasons with six teams: the Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics.
He won four championships, three with the Lakers from 2000 through 2002 and one with the Heat in 2006. He was named MVP in 2000 and earned 15 All-Star selections. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
O’Neal and Barkley have worked together on “Inside the NBA” since 2011. Their on-air ribbing has been a staple of the show for more than a decade.
