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Shaquille O’Neal stands at a gigantic height of 7ft1 and looking at his physique anyone would say that he doesn’t need any protection. The Big Aristotle however, is known to have anger issues on the court. However, the Los Angeles Lakers legend believes that when he gets angry there is only one single person in America that can calm him down. And that person is not his mother.

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Shaq once said that he fears only two “Right hands”, one was his father’s. And the other one was Jerome Crawford’s. Crawford was Shaq’s security coordinator. They first spoke in 1998 when Shaq was a police officer. And they’ve been together since that day. Furthermore, Shaq refers to him as “Uncle Jerome” out of love and respect.

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Shaq once spoke about his uncle Jerome. He said “It’s only one guy that can calm me down. That’s uncle Jerome. He knows me, he helped raise me, he understands me. He’s the only one that when I get to ten. Nobody else in America, my mama can’t even bring me to zero.”

Meanwhile, Crawford also spoke about Shaq’s anger issues. He said, “Shaq didn’t like to lose. He’ll come in, tearing up stuff, turning over tables. In those games, when he first went to LA, whenever the team lost, the focus was always Shaq. That’s a lot of weight to carry. But that’s why they paid him the big bucks, I guess.”

Indeed it would be a hard job to control the Hall of Famer center in a state of anger. And Shaq knew that it was not a piece of cake to calm him down. That’s why he hired Crawford.

Other bodyguards of Shaquille O’Neal

Jerome Crawford stands 6’3″ tall and weighs 250 pounds. Therefore, he was nearly a foot shorter than Shaquille O’Neal. However, he did a great job working with Shaq.

There’s another security personnel Shaq had hired who had succeeded in securing the Big Man’s respect. Adam Plant fits the description of what Shaq’s bodyguard should look like. Plant’s height was 6’7ft and he weighed more than Shaq.

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Shaq was so impressed with his work that he once gave Plant a shout-out on his Instagram. The post recommended him as a competent bodyguard.

WATCH THIS STORY: Bill Russell Net Worth: How Rich Was the NBA Legend as Compared to Shaquille O’Neal, Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James? 

Did you know about Shaq’s bodyguards? Let us know in the comments below.

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Ritesh Jha

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Ritesh Jha is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor's in Technology in Computer Science from Rungta College. Ritesh worked as an intern content writer for a digital marketing agency called KCAS Branding before joining EssentiallySports. Ritesh has been following the NBA and Soccer for a long time, and is interested in knowing about players' lives on and off the court. He is a big fan of Shaquille O'Neal and David Beckham. Away from a pen and paper or keyboard, he is passionate about public speaking and enjoys listening to old-school music. Ritesh is also a big fan of the TV series Game Of Thrones.

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Satagni Sikder

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