None of the seven feet and one inch of Shaquille O’Neal entered the chilly waters of Lake Acworth this weekend.
The basketball legend wasn't one of the 256 people to take a dip, but he did help raise money, which was the whole point of Special Olympics Georgia's Polar Plunge event on Saturday.
The fundraiser provides programs for 1,400 athletes statewide.
Event manager Rebecca Walsh estimated Monday that the group raised more than $115,000 during the two-week campaign.
This was Special Olympics Georgia’s eighth time holding the event, but the first time at Lake Acworth. There are already plans to hold the plunge there again next year.
So how did Shaq get involved?
Walsh reached out to The Big Aristotle's manager, but a Marietta officer with friends at the Clayton County Sheriff's Office — which deputized the Hall-of-Famer late last year — also helped get Shaq to Cobb.
“He wanted to come out and support because he loves sports, Special Olympics and he’s a big supporter of law enforcement,” Walsh said.
Shaq, who ended up judging the event’s costume contest, took bunches of pictures with folks. Check out some of them below:
