Shaquille O'Neal Slams Vaccine Mandates, Says 'You Shouldn't Be Forced To Take Something You Don't Want'
Feb. 4 2022, Published 2:42 p.m. ET
Shaquille O'Neal expressed his thoughts on COVID-19 vaccine mandates, claiming the government shouldn't coerce people into taking the jab, especially if it's against their will.
The basketball champion opened up about his opinion during a conversation on The Big Podcast with Shaq with co-hosts Nischelle Turner and Anthony "Spice" Adams.
During the chat, O'Neal encouraged his listeners to "be safe" and "take care of your family." The retired athlete also said he disagreed with mandating everyone to get vaccinated if it was "going against [their] morals."
"But it's just, people don't want to take it, and you shouldn't be forced to take something you don't want," he explained.
The former NBA player also discussed the New York nurses who allegedly made more than $1 million by producing fake vaccine cards.
O'Neal claimed the medical professionals shouldn't be sent to jail for the rules violation. He and Turner then got into a debate as to whether it was fair for a private company to dismiss someone who doesn't receive the vaccine.
The Basketball Hall of Famer believes an employee shouldn't have to decide to get the jab if they don't desire to.
The Entertainment Tonight correspondent argued with his notion, saying if a worker doesn't want to comply with the company rules, then there's the door.
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"I'm with you on the rules because I'm a rules guy," O'Neal explained. "But I do feel sympathetic towards people who have to make that kind of decision."
Turner, however, responded, "I don't. Not when you're putting other people at risk."
Nonetheless, last year O'Neal detracted Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irvin's decision not to get vaccinated. He told an outlet during an interview, "in this line of work, sometimes you have to be selfless."
"The day I decided it wasn't all about me and it's about us is the day I started winning and really started dominating," he shared. "I understand the issues and all that. But I took the vaccine because I'm not trying to get my mother sick, or my sister or my brother or people around me.
O' Neal added, "I know people say, 'the vaccine came too fast and is it healthy.' To each his own. But sometimes you have to think about the overall picture, and you have to think about more than yourself."
