I met Shaquille O'Neal when I was living in Orlando, Florida, he had just signed for the Orlando Magic basketball team.

Shaquille O'Neal.

It was August 1992, and I didn't know much about basketball, being an English man. I was living in Orlando and had decided to go to Church Street Station for a beer. I knew quite a few of the girls working there, so there was always someone to talk to. I got the bus to downtown Orlando and walked to The Cheyenne Saloon. As I approached the door, this very tall man walked in behind me, followed by a crowd pushing and shoving each other to get to him.

As I stood at the bar trying to order a beer, the crowd with him kept trying to get closer to him and pushed me out of the way to get to him to interview him. After a while, it became apparent I wouldn't be able to get to the bar because of all the rude, ignorant press trying to get to him. Because of this, I decided to leave and go to Rosy O'Gradys opposite. As I got up to leave, he followed me over to Rosy O'Gradys and again, the press kept pushing me out of the way to get to him. 

Luckily for me, a girl I knew was behind the bar, and she poured me a pitcher of beer when she saw me and brought it to my table for me. She told me who Shaquille O'Neal was and why there was such a fuss being made about him. She told me that Shaquille O'Neal had signed for the Orlando Magic that day and at the time, was the best player in Basketball, then she went back behind the bar.

After watching some of the show and getting their interview with Shaquille O'Neal, the press left. He turned towards me, where I sat at a table, brought a pitcher of beer over, and asked if I minded if he sat down with me. I said I didn't mind, and he sat down. He immediately apologised and told me he had seen the press push me out of the way and had followed me over from The Cheyenne Saloon to say sorry. He pushed the pitcher of beer over to me and told me it was for me to say sorry. He sat down, said he noticed my accent, and guessed I was English. He asked if I was on holiday. I told him that I now lived in Orlando, and he laughed and said he guessed I came to Rosy O'Gradys a lot as the bar staff knew me and what I would have to drink. Before the show finished, he got up to leave, shook me by the hand and again apologised for the press behaviour.

I watched the rest of the show, being watched by everyone there, wondering who the person Shaquille O'Neal had sat down with was. When the show finished, I returned my empty pitcher to the bar. The girl who had served me earlier told me that as well as buying the pitcher of beer he gave me, Shaquille O'Neal had paid for the one she had brought over to me earlier and left another behind the bar for me.

I thought that Shaq, as his friends call him, was very nice, a true gentleman and I became a big fan of him and the Magic from that point on. Shaquille O'Neal, next time we meet the beer is on me.