Former professional basketball player Shaquille O'Neal (54) is often mentioned in the same breath as other NBA legends and superstars like Michael Jordan (63) or Magic Johnson (66). But Shaq, as he's also frequently called, wants nothing to do with celebrity status.
He's just a regular guy and thinks nothing of celebrities, the former athlete tells "Page Six" in an interview. O'Neal asks to excuse his language, "but celebrities are jerks", he makes his opinion unmistakably clear.
In the same breath, he says he doesn't want to be seen as a celebrity. "I don't want to be in that category", he states. Addressing a reporter, he elaborates: "Thank you for considering me a celebrity, but I'm just a regular person. [...] Celebrities are weird. They're rude and insufferable. I definitely don't want to be in that category."
Shaq is also a "True Crime" fan
O'Neal gave the interview to promote a new "True Crime" format. Shaq is executive producer of "Game Day Murders", a series dedicated to criminal cases from the sports world. He's always been interested in sports and also in the "True Crime" genre, O'Neal reports. These two interests are now being combined.
The former basketball player describes himself in the conversation as a "True Crime" junkie. Everyone has "a detective" in them, in Shaq's view. He assures that the format won't rely on sensationalism, but will treat the cases discussed with respect. The series premieres in the U.S. on July 27.
