Standing 7-foot-3 with a badge in mind, Jordan Wilmore came up one point short on his Texas peace officer exam—but gained an unusually tall supporter. Wilmore, 24, is an aspiring officer in Kemah, Texas, who scored a 69 on the state test, missing the required 70. Instead of walking away, he decided to try again, KHOU reports. His persistence caught the attention of Police Chief Raymond Garivey, who said that unlike others he's seen fail and quit over his 34-year career, Wilmore "wants to serve."
It also caught the eye of someone who knows a thing or two about height and uniforms: Shaquille O'Neal. The 7-foot-1 NBA Hall of Famer and certified peace officer saw Wilmore's story on Instagram and reached out. O'Neal, who says it took him five to seven years to graduate from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Academy, told Wilmore he has his "full support" and offered to pay his expenses for the next five months while he prepares for another attempt at the exam. He says that when Wilmore passes, he'll provide a custom-made police car.
Wilmore, who grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, played basketball at Missouri, Northwestern State, and Austin Peay State University. He has also played professionally overseas, most recently in the Philippines, but he says his real dream was always policing. "It was hard for me to share, like, my dreams or, you know, the stuff I wanted to do growing up because it was, 'Well, you just got to focus on basketball because it can make you millions,'" he told CBS News in September. Now, he says, he's thankful to have O'Neal as a mentor as he studies for another shot at his peace officer license—and possibly the unofficial title of tallest cop in Texas.
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