The Nov. 3 election could change the direction of America. In sports, several voting initiatives have encouraged former and current athletes to vote.
But while social justice has been at the forefront of the NBA’s return to action in 2020, only 20 percent of players voted in the 2016 election, according to ESPN.
The number has changed drastically in 2020, with more than 90 percent of players in the NBA registered to vote.
One former NBA Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal, revealed a shocking fact about himself. During an episode of his show, “The Big Podcast,” O’Neal, 48, shared that he recently voted for the first time in his life.
“I’ve never voted before, America,” O’Neal said during the podcast. “But, now I’m doing all these voting campaigns, and ya 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.”
It’s odd considering that O’Neal and former President Barack Obama were photographed together on multiple occasions. O’Neal also appeared as a guest at the Obamas’ Easter Egg Roll at the White House in 2016.
However, O’Neal isn’t the first pro athlete to vote for the first time. Boxing champion Mike Tyson also revealed that he would be voting for the first time in 2020.
