He's mostly known as a few things: a Hall-of-Fame center. A four-time NBA champion. A co-host on the most remarkable program in sports, TNT's Inside the NBA. A very, very large man. But Shaquille O'Neal is a lot more. He's an expert and an analyst and the host of his own podcast. He was once a rapper, and he still might be a comedian. He's the son of a drill sergeant, and he was, more than once, a cop.

This is an interesting time to pick his brain, not just because a new NBA season is underway and the kingdom has been dramatically rearranged, with Kevin Durant joining the Golden State supersquad and Dwyane Wade as Chicago's prodigal son. There's also a lot going on outside the NBA's borders—for instance, a discussion about racial injustice in policing into which athletes like Colin Kaepernick have jumped feet first. Shaq, with a background unlike any other former athlete, has sought to be a bridge builder. We checked in to see how that and this new NBA season are going.

How are things shaping up to you?

I've been enjoying it. A lot of moves made, but I like to focus on the big ones.Cleveland—are they going to repeat? Golden State, with the addition of Kevin Durant. Atlanta, are they going to be able to compete with Dwight [Howard] in the middle? Dwyane Wade at Chicago—is that going to be a culture shock for him?

A lot of teams will be in the hunt, but I think towards the end of the season it's going to be Golden State vs. Cleveland.

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What do you make of those new-look Warriors?

They look good on paper, but every time you focus on the good, you have to focus on the possibility of the bad. They had great chemistry with a one-two punch [of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson] and then Draymond [Green] doing his thing. Now you've got three great players—is anyone going to be affected? I don't want to use the word struggle, but I think they'll have some trials and tribulations before it's all done. But offensively, if any two of those four go off, it'll be a hard night for anybody [they play].

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Where do you stand on superstars switching teams to play together?

It's a different era. I'm hearing that a lot: the different eras, the different time. I wanted to win the hard way. True great players wanted to win the hard way. Now, if you get traded and the team is assembled, that's different. If you're older, and you haven't won one, and you go to a contender to try to win one, that's a little bit acceptable.

When I started watching basketball, the Lakers were the team. And Detroit couldn't get past them. Then, [eventually], Detroit got past 'em. Then there comes this guy named Mike [Michael Jordan] who had it for a while. Then Kobe and I and the Spurs, we were going back and forth. Imagine Magic [Johnson] losing to the Celtics and saying, [Larry] Bird, I want to come play with you. Or vice-versa. It's just never been done before. And I think if those guys [the Warriors] don't win, it'll be a lot of pressure to deal with.

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You had Phil Jackson on your podcast recently. How do you think his Knicks are looking?

I've said it a million times. If they'd run the triangle [offense], it'd work. A lot of people say the triangle is hard. It's not hard, it's only hard when you don't want to give up what you're used to doing. A lot of guys like to get in there and put it between their legs, dribble 50 times. It takes players out of their comfort zones.

If you look at the teams that have won with the triangle—Isaiah Thomas said nobody can win with the triangle without Shaq and Kobe or Mike. Probably true. But if you look at all those teams that had those players, it was the other players that helped get the championships. Steve Kerr, being in the right place and hitting the shot. Rick Fox, always being in the right place and getting the right shot.

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What did Phil Jackson mean for your career?

Everything. Everything. Let me put it in business terms. I was a young business guy who made a lot of money. I was flamboyant. I was doing a lot. But I couldn't take my business to that next level. Then I met a Warren Buffett-type guy that's done it many times in the market. So I ask him to come work for my company. He ran my company. My employees and I, we trusted everything he said. He was able to get us over the hump.

So I'm sure you saw when the Rockets' Bobby Brown wrote his initials on the Great Wall of China [last] month. What did you make of that?

That was dumb. You can't do stuff like that. It's a national monument. And the crazy thing—if he would've done it and not put it on social media, he wouldn't have gotten caught. And they don't play over there in China. These kids want to impress people, they want to get their followers up, and sometimes it doesn't lead them to great decisions. But that was the dumbest thing anybody—that's like me going to the Statue of Liberty and writing a Shaq autograph at the bottom.

The Inside the NBA crew is really tight-knit and has a real chemistry. What makes it work for you all?

Well, the fact that we're allowed to utilize humor on the show is one thing. Another is that the audience understands that we probably know what we're talking about. Especially Chuck [Charles Barkley] and I. Hall of Famers, dominant players. We get it. Then Ernie [Johnson] is the ringleader who keeps us all in line. What Ernie and you guys do is also well respected. And then Kenny [Smith] is the guy who played on championship teams. He sees it from the other side. I think that chemistry makes us believable.

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It seems like you guys have some freedom to speak your mind, too. Charles Barkley has been pretty outspoken on Colin Kaepernick's protest—where do you stand on that?

Well Carmelo [Anthony] came out today and said he'd rather do things in the community. It's more effective. I agree. I don't know [Kaepernick]. To each his own. You've got the right to voice your opinion. But my advice is to his followers: Don't just do it when it's convenient. And don't do it to get your followers up. If you're going to do it, do it like the ones before you have done it from day one.

I saw somebody compared him to Muhammad Ali, which is ludicrous. Muhammad Ali was fighting for a bigger cause since he was Cassius Clay. Every day. So I've never seen Kaepernick do anything in the community—I don't really know him, but to each his own. Everybody has their voice, especially now with social media. A lot of people have these tweets, and they just want to say something when it's convenient. But I don't know if he said anything with Eric Garner, and all those others.

You seem to have a lot of respect and admiration for police. I remember that video of you going to play basketball with that cop in Florida. Do you think you have a role to play, sort of bridging that divide between police and communities?

Yeah. And one way to bridge the divide is for the media not to portray it as "all."All police ain't bad, just like all athletes ain't bad. Just like all guys in your line of business ain't bad. We all have the letter of the law to follow. And if you don't follow that, it shouldn't always be a reflection of who you work for or who you're with. Are there some bad policemen? Of course. Guaranteed there are. And hopefully they're tried and brought to justice.

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I would just like to have it re-worded, and talked about in a different manner. And if we as people show respect to one another, we can accomplish a lot. Because guess what? This world is growing, and nobody's going anywhere. So you have to learn how to respect and tolerate each other. The ones who know how to respect and tolerate each other are the ones that live better and more peacefully.

And then you also have to have understanding. As an African-American male, I understand. I've been through it. As a police officer, I understand. I've been through it. I understand people. I listen. We're not put on this Earth to change people's minds—we just have to listen to them.

Shaq accepts an award as a Los Angeles Port Police Officer in 2003. Getty Images

I saw an article about a guy who plays blues—a black guy who hangs out with the Ku Klux Klan. So I watched him, like, what is this guy doing? He made sense. He said, "Listen. If you just sit down and talk to a person and just listen to him, I guarantee you that you have something in common." And at the end of the thing, the Ku Klux Klan guy says, "You know what? I think I made a mistake, because this black guy's cool."

I'm 45, and I realize that me, at 45—my way is my way. So a person that's older than me, their way is their way. You're not going to change them, no matter what. This world wasn't created perfect. There's going to be some people like them or you or whatever. I can't control that, and I don't worry about things I can't control.

When I get stopped by the cops, I'm not worried. And it has nothing to do with being Shaq. You know why? I show respect. "Yes, sir. No, sir." That's how I was taught. I was raised by a drill sergeant, and that's who I am. Doesn't matter if it's a black guy, white guy, whatever. I'm not going to make it uncomfortable for you, because I don't want it uncomfortable for me. There's not going to be any talking back—none of that.

Your dad was a drill sergeant?

Oh yeah. One time the police were messing with us, and I disrespected them. Oh, that was the worst thing I could have ever done. My father grabbed me by my collar, tugged me back, and said, "Don't you ever disrespect these men. They're here to protect us. You listen to them. You say, 'Yes, sir. No, sir.' And if he's not right, if he's doing stuff out of spite, just obey the letter of the law. Then you come and see me, and I'll handle it." So from that day on, I didn't disrespect the police anymore.

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Was he a big guy, too?

Yeah, 6'7".

Do you think we've lost sight of the importance of respect and understanding?

Yeah. We have to learn to respect one another and tolerate one another. I tell my kids all the time: "Racism is taught." I ride by a little preschool every day, and I wish I could show you this beautiful picture. Everybody's holding hands. So that just confirms that it's taught. It's taught by stuff that you see, and it's taught by family members. It's taught by elders. At this preschool, there's white kids playing with black kids. They're holding hands, they're kissing, they're hugging. It's prettiest little thing I've ever seen in my life. It really is. And I ride by every day, and I get out of the car and I play with them. And they call me Uncle Shaq. It's the cutest little thing.

But I'm not going to go on social media and say, "Do this. Do that." Me? I'm in the community. I've been passing out food, feeding the homeless for 25, 30 years. I do the stuff that's seen and unseen. My mother told me a long time ago: "Do it from the heart." I got 12 million followers [on Twitter] and I could care less if they know the number of things I do. And when I go to hospitals and talk to little kids, it doesn't matter what religion or race they are. I'm talking to them. It's all about respect.

I saw you bought a Krispy Kreme store today. What's your favorite kind of donut?

Oh, glazed. It's always glazed.

What attracted you to investing in that?

I've always loved it, and I saw an opportunity there. I started a company called Shaquille O'Meals, and I'm looking to get into franchises.

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It seems like you have a lot of business interests.

Yeah, I've always been that way. My number-one duty right now is to be a father and do the right thing. It's good that my kids look at me as Shaq, [but I hope] they look at me like, "Wow, my daddy was smart, and did this and did that." Because when I was young, every time an athlete got in trouble, my father would punish me. True story. He'd punish me every time a guy lost money. I learned from everybody else's mistakes.

"Go cut the grass!" I actually thanked him for it—I wish he was still here. I would still continue to thank him. That's how I learned. Because 60 percent of us, after we're done, we don't have any income.

So because your dad thought you'd become a pro athlete, he wanted to teach you about that responsibility?

Yes. Every time somebody did something I'd get in trouble. So then we'd have an altercation where he'd say, "Don't you ever put your money in that!" He'd take the paper and go, "Read this! I want a report about it in the morning." I would have to study it, and then it would be, "What did he do wrong?" And I'd have to be quick on my feet.

One more thing: Who do you have winning this year?

Cleveland.

Jack Holmes Politics Editor Jack Holmes is the Politics Editor at Esquire, where he writes daily and edits the Politics Blog with Charles P Pierce.

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