After 7-foot-3 police recruit falls short on exam, Shaq steps in to help
- - After 7-foot-3 police recruit falls short on exam, Shaq steps in to help
Jericka Duncan December 30, 2025 at 1:54 AM
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After 7-foot-3 police recruit falls short on exam, Shaq steps in to help
When Shaquille O'Neal met 24-year-old Jordan Wilmore, he didn't expect to meet his match.
"I found out about him through jealousy," O'Neal said. "I thought I was the tallest, handsomest cop in the world."
Shaq, who has several law enforcement titles himself, learned about Wilmore's quest to become a police officer in Kemah, Texas, and wanted to know more.
"It's commendable that a kid wants to be an officer. I love cops," O'Neal said.
Back in September, Steve Hartman shared the story of how Wilmore, who is 7-foot-3, was encouraged to pursue basketball his whole life because of his height. But it was never his true calling.
A Memphis, Tennessee, native, Wilmore played college basketball at Missouri, Northwestern State and Austin Peay State University. He then played professionally overseas, with his last stop in the Philippines last year.
"It was hard for me to share, like, my dreams or, you know, the stuff I wanted to do growing up because it was, 'Well, you just got to focus on basketball because it can make you millions,'" Wilmore told CBS News in September.
But after completing the police academy, Wilmore fell short of passing the state exam this month by one point.So O'Neal jumped in to help Wilmore pass, agreeing to pay for Wilmore's expenses for the next five months so he could focus on retaking the exam.
"I wanted to just let him know, he has my full support. I'm going to be on you, brother, make sure you're getting it done," Shaq said.
"First I was down, but then I'm like, you know, I'm still young. You fail, you got to get right back up. You can't be so quick just to quit," Wilmore said. "I'm really thankful for [O'Neal] helping me out, being there and being a mentor for helping me do this."
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
