Obama names hoops legend Shaq sports envoy to Cuba

Agence France-Presse

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Obama names hoops legend Shaq sports envoy to Cuba
Shaquille O'Neal will visit Cuba to talk sports and business, and visit cultural sites

WASHINGTON, USA – Basketball fanatic Barack Obama named legendary center Shaquille O’Neal as sports envoy to Cuba on Friday, June 24 in a new sign of thawing ties between Washington and Havana.

When the imposing 7-foot-1 player was dominating courts for the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat in Florida he was just a short hop from the island state.

But, like other Americans, he was separated from his fans in communist Cuba by the US embargo on its economy and decades of Cold War hostility between the neighbors.

The United States and Cuba finally restored ties last year and officials from both countries are gingerly negotiating a new relationship, even as parts of the embargo fall away.

In the latest stage in the rapprochement, the retired baller will travel to Cuba from June 24 to 28, meet young people, talks sport and business, and visit cultural sites. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!