Magic Johnson vs. Shaquille O’Neal — a matchup basketball fans will never get to enjoy, unless they follow politics in Los Angeles.
Both former Lakers greats have given star power to an otherwise obscure local election by endorsing separate candidates for Los Angeles city attorney.
Both want a head prosecutor who is tough on crime, but — like their styles on the basketball court — Magic and Shaq have different ideas on who can get it done.
Carmen Trutanich or Jack Weiss? Outside of Los Angeles, know one really cares, except perhaps to see the 7-foot-1, 325-pound Shaq take an interest in politics.
“Trust me, I don’t get involved in politics very often,” the Phoenix Suns center said Thursday while endorsing Trutanich, a former prosecutor. “But as a father and police officer, when it comes to our kids, I’m going to get involved.”
Shaq may know a bit about fighting crime. He volunteers with the Tempe, Ariz., Police Department, served as a reserve police officer in Miami Beach and completed the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Reserve Academy.
But as far as endorsements go, Shaq is facing a tough matchup. Magic is a political veteran, endorsing several candidates on the local and national level through the years, including President Barack Obama during his stretch run to the White House.
Magic’s choice for Los Angeles city attorney? Weiss, a city councilman who Magic says “has the experience to fight gangs and violence in the community.”
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