“Get Your 4x Championship Hand off Me”: Despite $5,625,000 Papa John’s Partnership, Shaquille O’Neal Hilariously Bullied Comedian into Buying Him Pizza

Shaquille O’Neal joined Papa John’s board of directors in 2019 when the company was suffering an existential crisis in the wake of the departure of Founder and Chairman John Schnatter. The international pizza chain renewed Shaq’s contract last year with a three-year deal that promises him $11 million in cash and stock, as per a federal securities filing. The big man is set to receive $5,625,000 in cash payments in these three years. Despite his lucrative deal with the brand, Shaq once ended up bullying a comedian into paying for his Papa John’s pizza.

Shaquille O’Neal has really made major strides in the restaurant business, which started with his deals with McDonald’s and Five Guys. However, Shaq soon started his own fast-food chain Big Chicken, which now has several outlets across the country. In fact, he recently bragged on social media about the Fire Marshalls shutting down his Big Chicken outlet in Houston due to the sheer amount of people gathered in the area. Shaq’s partnership with Papa John’s further embellishes his portfolio as an ace restaurateur.

Shaquille O’Neal forces comedian to pay his bill

Earlier this year, Shaq grabbed the attention of pizza fans with a hilarious skit that gained traction on the Internet. In the video, comedian Tony Statovici was seen buying pizza when the 7’1 Lakers legend crawled up behind him. The two exchanged greetings when Statovici noticed the big fella behind him. He also told Shaq that he’s getting the crispy pine pizza.

Meanwhile, Shaq hilariously asked Statovici to pay for his pizza, “You got me?” In response, the comedian vehemently declined the Hall-of-Famer’s request, saying, “Man, no…get your four-time Championship hand off me. No I don’t got you.”

Statovici obviously didn’t like the thought of paying for a man who has a net worth of $400 million. However, the video soon cut to the comedian meekly asking, “And how much was it again for his pizza?” Shaq proved that you can’t miss out on a free pizza even if you have a multi-million dollar deal with the franchise.

 

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However, this isn’t the first time Shaq has bullied Statovici in public. The two are known for their hilarious collabs on Instagram.

Shaq once explained how he got into Papa John’s pizza

During his appearance on the Drink Champs podcast with DJ EFN and NORE, Shaq explained how he got into Papa John’s board of directors. The four-time NBA champion revealed that the franchise called him to join their board after the company’s founder John Schnatter resigned following his N-word scandal.

Shaq became the first Black board member of the company. And he’s been doing some wonderful things for the franchise since then.