There's a first time for everything, and for one 48-year-old ex-NBA star this year, that's voting. On the Wednesday edition of his Big Podcast With Shaq, Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal admitted he'd never cast a vote before this election, and that he finally had, via an absentee ballot, per CBS News. "You know I always like being honest on my podcast," he said, before revealing: "I've never voted before, America." The athlete then noted that, because he's been out participating in voting registration campaigns, he decided to finally enter his ballot, because he didn't want to feel like a "hypocrite."
Per Yahoo Sports, O'Neal's confession may not be an anomaly in his industry, with one estimate noting only 20% of NBA players may have voted in the 2016 election. Shaq told co-host John Kincade he had "no excuse" for not exercising his voting rights previously, adding that he hadn't understood the "electoral college system." Kincade seemed shocked that O'Neal hadn't even voted for Barack Obama. O'Neal didn't say who received his thumbs-up during his first voting experience, but he noted how he felt afterward: "America, I voted for the first time, and it feels good." (More Shaquille O'Neal stories.)
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