Shaquille O’Neal speaks in front of capacity crowd Wednesday at O. Wayne Rollins Center

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal entertained and enlightened a capacity crowd inside the University of the Cumberlands’ O. Wayne Rollins Center Wednesday night as the keynote speaker for the 2017 Excellence in Leadership Series, sponsored by the Forcht Group of Kentucky.

O’Neal, who is most widely known by the nickname “Shaq,” discussed a wide range of topics during his time on stage, but mostly he spoke about what it means to be a champion, and a leader. He explained that a series of bad choices landed him in jail for a few nights when he was a youth. It was during those nights behind bars that he came up with an acronym for what he believes the word “champion” should really stand for – Caring. Humble. Aspire. Motivate. Persevere. Inspiration. Opportunity. Never give up.

Since that time, Shaq has tried to live his life by these principles and ideals, and it has led him to become one of the most widely known personalities not just in this country, but all over the globe. In addition to being an NBA legend with four championships and 15 All-Star selections to his credit, he has also made a name for himself in the worlds of business and media. Investor, entrepreneur, actor, spokesperson and analyst are just a few of the many titles that he has added to his impressive resume over the years.

The crowd on hand at the Rollins Center Wednesday were delighted to hear several interesting stories about O’Neal’s past, both personal and professional, but the evening began on a more serious note as Shaq helped honor fallen police officers Daniel Ellis (Richmond PD) and Jason Ellis (Bardstown PD) by presenting their families with special Legacy Awards to commemorate their bravery, and to recognize the many positive contributions they made to their respective communities.

Later, during a Q-and-A session with UC students and President Dr. Larry Cockrum, O’Neal was asked a question about how he would help improve relations between police officers and the citizens they are tasked with protecting and serving on a daily basis. “We have to start having more respect for one another,” he said. “I see a lot of disrespect that is unwarranted towards the police. These guys are underpaid, but they’re out there trying to keep us safe. We live in the greatest place in the world, and these guys are out there busting their tails. I see a lot of disrespect. Mistakes have been made, but that doesn’t represent all police. All police are not bad, and we have to start respecting our law enforcement officers all the time. They do a wonderful job.”

At the end of the evening’s program, Dr. Cockrum gave Shaq the opportunity to offer up a few parting words of advice to the many young men and women in attendance. “Aspire to be great,” he said. “Aspire to be different. Never give up, and follow your dreams. But before you succeed, you must learn to fail. Study your mistakes, try not to repeat your mistakes and just keep going. You guys are the future, and I wish you all well. I wish you all success.”

Shaq was then honored by the City of Williamsburg, receiving an honorary spot on the city’s police force, including his own badge number.

O’Neal joins a prestigious list of former Excellence in Leadership keynote speakers, including Ben Stein (2009), Karl Rove (2010), Mike Huckabee (2011), Rudy Giuliani (2012), Charles Krauthammer (2013), Dr. Ben Carson (2014), Fred Thompson (2015) and Will Graham (2016).