GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The infamous call that led a Gainesville police officer to a street that would later turn into an NBA court for Shaquille O'neal is finally being released.
The original police officer that showed up captured the moment he joined in for a game of basketball on his dashboard cam, and once that video was uploaded it went viral, catching the attention of Shaq.
Now Officer Bobby White has been nicknamed the "basketball cop" around the world and the kids are loving it. The caller who placed the phone call to complain about the kids has since told the police department he believes the entire thing was a publicity stunt.
The media interviews are starting to die down but, the relationship between White and the group of kids is just beginning. But it all started with that one call which the Gainesville Police department said, they are thankful for because none of this would have happened without this guy’s complaint.
White's dashboard video of the initial encounter with the teens and GPD's video of Shaq and White playing a pick-up game with the teens have both gone viral.
The viral video that has been viewed nearly 17 million times across the globe started with this phone call:
"I've called several times about a group of juveniles that have come down to play basketball down the street," the caller said. "This guy, I guess he got a basketball hoop for Christmas and all of his friends, they don't live in this neighborhood, I don't know where they come from."
Tyree Thomas, owner of the basketball hoop said sometimes they do get loud, but not all the time.
"Ever since I put that up [the basketball hoop] everybody came to my basketball hoop and wanted to play basketball,” Thomas said.
"It's one you shake your head at and you keep a little bit of an open mind if they are out here just completely being crazy and making a crazy amount of noise, unnecessary noise beyond just playing basketball you know you still have to deal with the citizen and their complaints, but this was exactly what was described," White said.
This is why the officer said he jumped in.
“I guess it's a little disappointing in a way that there's that many people that think that the way I answered that call was something spectacular or exceptional. It's not at all," White said.
The caller also complained that he didn’t think these kids were under any adult supervision.
"It does not appear that an adult lives at that house. They come to see a kid that lives there and play basketball and get extremely loud," the caller said in his complaint.
"Because my mama leaves at 6 o'clock in the morning and comes home at eight because she has like two or three jobs,” Thomas said in regards to the caller’s complaint.
"These kids are really good kids come in they do really good in school there well behaved and this is what they do every day,” White said. “This is their pleasure every day after school when they come home."
Clearly, Shaq was impressed enough to show up and play a little five on five.
Aahtrell Johnson, 17, who also played hoops with Shaq said this memory will be a lasting one.
"When you hear about police you hear a bad name. Well this is a police that had a good name,” Johnson said. “So that's the first police I really noticed had a lasting impression. First impressions always last and he's the one. So I guess I'll stay with him."
Apparently there is something big in the works for these kids but, White didn't want to say too much right now because things are still being worked out.
"Every social media manager dreams of having that viral moment and when I hit post on that video it was just another video… I did not think that that was going to be the moment,” GPD spokesman Ben Tobias said.
GPD said White will make his international TV debut Monday night with a 6:30 p.m. CNN International interview.
The story began more than a week ago when someone called GPD to complain the teens were playing basketball too loudly in the street.
White was dispatched to check it out and instead of reprimanding them, he joined in. His dash camera was rolling and captured more children coming out to play with the officer.
"He said, 'Let me hold the basketball.' And we passed it to him and he went up and dunked,” said Antwan Townsend, one of the teens who played with White. “(We thought,) 'How can he dunk! He's that short.'"
White told the kids he would bring some backup next time so they could get a game going.
Shaq heard about the story and contacted GPD to arrange a surprise visit to the neighborhood.
White first approached the children and said, "I told you I was going to bring backup." Shaq then stepped out of an SUV.
"The second his size 22 foot hit the pavement, those kids knew exactly that Shaquille O'Neal was in their neighborhood,” Tobias said.
The kids were surprised, to say the least.
"Shaq is here! I got all excited and I screamed and told everybody to come outside,” Kyle Mixon said.
Shaq offered the kids some advice.
"Stay out of trouble. Respect your elders. You can be anything you want to be," he told the kids as they huddled. "I'm from the same neighborhood y'all from. I grew up like this. Only you can change this."
Townsend said he'll definitely remember that advice and pass it along to his friends.
“If they do something bad I'm going to tell them, 'Respect your peers. Do good in school and respect your parents,'” Townsend said. “Shaq is my idol. I will never forget that. He gave me a hug. It was like everything.”
The day after the Shaq surprise, GPD posted a message on Facebook to the person who first called to complain about the kids.
"In the midst of the saga of 'Basketball Cop' Bobby White, we would, in fact like to thank the original caller that made the noise complaint. They're the real MVP. Without their call....none of this would have happened. PS - Hope we weren't too loud yesterday. Shaq has big lungs," GPD posted on Sunday.
Tobias said the caller believes the basketball game was a publicity stunt. Tobias said the police department doesn't have that kind of pull with Shaq.
"We (cops) have been fighting an uphill battle against a negative perception of those who wear the uniform," Tobias said. "I have never been more proud to wear my badge and showcase what cops do. It is my sincere hope that this amazing few days in little ole Gainesville, Florida, will begin a massive nationwide shift in the public's perception of America's law enforcement."