Basketball Hall Of Famer Shaquille O’ Neal has done a lot on and off the court. Surprisingly, there is something he hasn’t done before but now is the right time to do so.

O’ Neal revealed on his podcast  “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” that he had never voted in an election, and that he did so for the first time this year with an absentee ballot. 

“You know I always like being honest on my podcast. I’ve never voted before, America,” O’Neal said. “But, now I’m doing all these voting campaigns, and you know one thing I never like to do is be a hypocrite.” 

“In other words, America, I voted for the first time, and it feels good.”

O’Neal said he didn’t want to discuss his thoughts on the voting process, but did share he’s “never understood the electoral college system.”

Only around 20% of eligible NBA players cast a ballot in the last election, but that looks to change this year with more than 90% of players now registered to vote.

O’Neal noted there was “no excuse” for not voting earlier, and credited his decision to participate in the electoral process with his involvement in getting officials elected.

O’ Neal knows that a lot rides on this Presidential election and didn’t want to sit on the sidelines for it. If Shaq can come around and vote, hopefully so many others will follow his lead.