Former NBA player John Salley has shared a story about Shaquille O’Neal’s generosity, revealing that the Hall of Fame center once lent him $70,000 and later refused to accept repayment.
Salley explained that he needed financial assistance while the two were teammates, and O’Neal immediately agreed to help without making the situation complicated.
“And when I needed cash, he said, ‘How much?’ Seventy. Seventy thousand. And then this deal, I went back and said, ‘I’m going to…’ He said, ‘No, no, we’re good.’”
According to Salley, O’Neal’s refusal to take the money back left a lasting impression on him.
Rather than simply accepting the gesture, Salley decided to find another way to compensate his former teammate.
He revealed that he has mentally designated O’Neal as an investor in his cannabis business, which he says has become increasingly successful.
“He didn’t want it back. And I was like, huh. And then somebody was like, ‘Yeah, people owe you, you still pay.’ And I was like, to this day, which I’m going to say on the show, because the cannabis business is becoming very, very good for us, I got him in my brain as an investor. You understand what I’m saying?”
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Salley explained that he intends to calculate what the original $70,000 could have earned over the years and provide O’Neal with a return that reflects the value of the financial assistance.
“So when I kick back, it’s how many years ago was that? At this percentage, if you would’ve put it in the bank, it would’ve given you this. Yeah, well, I’m going to give you this and this, and you can do whatever you want with it.”
The former forward also recalled his relationship with O’Neal and mentioned a conversation involving Shaq’s former girlfriend, Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander.
“When he was with Hoopz… Hoopz is one of my favorite people on the planet, she told him, she was like, ‘That’s a real cat.’ And he always knows it.”
Salley and O’Neal were teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1999-2000 season, when they helped the franchise win the NBA championship.
