The Cleveland Cavaliers were on a 15-game winning streak, a franchise record. This impressive run made fans believe that they are invincible this season. As they got ready to face the Celtics in the NBA Cup group stage game at the TD Garden, Shaquille O’Neal decided to show his confidence in the Cavs by putting his money on the line.
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On Inside the NBA, the Lakers legend said he is willing to bet on the Cavs’ chances of beating the Celtics. Shaq said, “Cavs by 10.” Charles Barkley immediately took the bet. Chuck said, “Bet…How much? $2 million.”
Putting $2 million cash on an NBA Cup game might’ve seemed excessive to most people, but these two weren’t done. The bet went up to $3 million and then to $5 million. Even though Kenny Smith tried to warn Chuck that “this dude has never paid a bet in 20 years,” Barkley remained unfazed.
After the bet was in place, Shaq made someone get his bag full of money and started stacking them on the table. It’s a good thing that the money he brought on stage was fake because not only did the Cavs not win by 10, but instead, they lost the contest 117-120.
Jayson Tatum had yet another great outing with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists to ensure his team broke the Cavs’ unbeaten streak. Keeping his word, Shaq paid Chuck for the lost bet. As per his calculation, a $3 million bet, after taxes, comes down to $30,000. Even though he paid him the 30k in prop money, Barkley must’ve known what he was in for.
Shaquille O’Neal has used fake money for bets before
Eight months ago, for a game between the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets, Shaq was in the same situation, only this time his bet was against Jamal Crawford. After losing the bet, Diesel brought a stack of money to the table to pay Crawford. The former NBA star was happy that he was getting a lot of money from the bet.
Unfortunately, his happiness couldn’t last very long as he found out that the $100 bills had Shaq’s face printed on them. Shaq probably owes millions of dollars to his co-hosts and it’s safe to say that he’s not paying back. In fact, he is not paying the $1000 he owes to comedian Ali Siddiq from 30 years ago.
Putting fake money on the line has been Shaq’s style for a while. It keeps the NBA legend from losing money. It also shows that despite a net worth of $500 million, the four-time NBA Champion is very careful about not wasting his hard-earned money.
