NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has too many endorsement deals to do an endorsement deal. That is, since Shaq is the voice and face of so many companies (Papa Johns to The General insurance and much more), he has driven in the Michael Jordan lane when it comes to politics and endorsing politicians.
Jordan, asked to support liberal causes in his heyday, once famously replied that he wouldn’t because “Republicans buy sneakers too.”
Staying true to the Jordan motto, Shaq didn’t endorse a candidate in this latest election. But in an age where everything is highly politicized, Shaq’s recent boast about his new rides is being examined for political leanings. As in: is buying a Tesla a way of expressing support for Donald Trump, since Elon Musk is linked most closely in the public sphere with Tesla and Trump?
Shaq says he has the most badass Cybertruck of anyone. He now owns three of them. pic.twitter.com/ngfwG6Tvvr
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) November 11, 2024
In the segment above, Shaq cops to recently buying not just one, but two Cybertrucks, Tesla’s unique and long-anticipated entry into the personal truck lane.
The fact that the Tesla purchases are only a small part of Shaq’s armada of luxury vehicles of every sort — that he owns so many cars these are just two more — leans toward an interpretation that his Tesla purchase doesn’t signal support for Elon Musk or Musk’s fervent backing of Trump in 2024, which — along with some of Musk’s other positions — has upset some Tesla owners. (Shaq, it seems, just buys whatever wheels he likes, and he likes the Cybertruck.)
Musk, for his part, has fought back against the notion that his extracurricular activities have dampened enthusiasm for Tesla and instead expressed a belief that his political support has only helped the company, which in the immediate wake of Trump’s victory is verifiably true.
Elon on $TSLA: pic.twitter.com/SIRLe23d2q
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) November 12, 2024