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Police Officer Shaquille O’Neal Gets Brutally Honest on Russian Jails Amid Brittney Griner Arrest: “I’ve Seen a Lot of Movies”

Published 08/07/2022, 9:00 PM EDT

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Shaquille O’Neal weighs in on Russian prisons in the wake of Brittney Griner’s nine-year sentencing for drug possession charges. The Big Diesel has worked with Law Enforcement for a long time and is currently an honorary deputy in Clayton County, Georgia. As a result, Shaquille O’Neal chimed in with his idea of a Russian prison that could potentially house the WNBA star till Washington strikes a deal with Moscow.

In the most recent episode of his ‘The Big Podcast, Shaq revealed his thoughts on the latest updates on the Brittney Griner situation. In fact, Shaq expressed genuine concern for the exiled Phoenix Mercury star. As it turns out, the Lakers legend doesn’t have a very favorable opinion of the Russian prison system.

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Shaquille O’Neal on Russian prisons

At the very beginning of his podcast, Shaquille O’Neal admitted that he doesn’t have extensive knowledge of Russian prisons. In other words, his idea of the typical Russian prison is derived from movies. And as it turns out, it’s not a very desirable place to be.

via Getty

I’ve seen a lot of movies,” Shaq said. “And I have never seen a Russian prison that was luxurious in the movies.”

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Meanwhile, Shaq’s co-host Nischelle Turner pointed out that no prison in the world is luxurious and desirable. The 15-time All-Star agreed.

Incidentally, Shaq has prior experience working with the police. During his stint with the Lakers, the four-time NBA champion attended the Los Angeles County’s Reserve Academy to qualify as a reserve officer for the Los Angeles Port Police.

In 2005, Shaq became a US Deputy Marshal. Furthermore, he has also served as an honorary deputy for the Broward County (Florida) Sheriff’s Department. Currently, he works with the Law Enforcement authorities in Georgia as an honorary deputy.

The Brittney Griner situation

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WNBA star Brittney Griner is facing a nine-year prison sentence for carrying vape cartridges full of cannabis oil. However, media organizations have reported the possibility of a prisoner swap.

The name of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout has been suggested as a potential option for a swap deal. Bout is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States.

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Meanwhile, Kremlin has asked for negotiations to take place through a reliable channel without any publicity. Such a demand for secrecy has further raised concerns regarding the issue.

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Written by:

Satagni Sikder

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Satagni Sikder is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He has a Master's degree in English from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and has been following the NBA since 2017. Moreover, he supports the Dallas Mavericks, and unsurprisingly, Luka Doncic is his favorite player.
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Edited by:

Pritam Priyedarshi