Years after lacing up his sneakers and hanging up his jersey for good, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal is still making waves through commercials, sports shows, and other big investments. This time, Shaq will embark on a new TV series exploring his love for poetry.
As reported by the Associated Press, Shaq was in “Poetry in America” a 12-part series hosted by Elisa New, a Harvard English professor.
O'Neal shared his history with poetry, admitting that he's been into the art form all his life:
“I’ve always been into poetry,” O’Neal said in an interview with The Associated Press in a sunlit conference room overlooking the Los Angeles skyline. “I’ve been writing rhymes all my life.”
The four-time NBA champion recited a poem by Edward Hirsch entitled “Fast Break.” The poem begins:
“A hook shot kisses the rim and hangs there, helplessly, but doesn’t drop. And for once our gangly starting center boxes out his man.”
Shaq said that his first mistake was to believe that the poem is about basketball. He said:
“The first mistake I made was thinking it was about basketball,” he said. “I read it real quick I said `fast break, shovel passes, sure, this is what I do.”
“It’s about friendship, it’s about caring, it’s about emotions,” O’Neal said. “I had missed that.”
Without a doubt, Shaq is not only gifted with athleticism and business acumen, he also has a heart for the arts, something that's rare among athletes like him. We're hoping to see more of Shaq reading his favorite poems and maybe even release a poetry book of his own.
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