Shaquille O’Neal has always been one of the most entertaining personalities in the NBA, and Jimmy Kimmel once recapped a story of when Shaq proved this point.
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The former Lakers legend is currently one of the hosts of the famous ‘Inside the NBA’ segment on ESPN where he finds new and hilarious ways to discuss and analyze the NBA.
There have been countless stories of how Shaquille O’Neal has spent egregious amounts of money at once. He holds the record for the largest purchase in Walmart history amongst other things, and so he holds a reputation for being a big spender.
Shaq’s net worth is enough to cater towards his lifestyle, but it also sometimes makes for some crazy stories.
26 years ago today was the last day of the Shaq & Penny era.
They were both just 24 years old and only played 3 seasons together. pic.twitter.com/AMbLLIwMWr
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) May 27, 2022
Shaquille O’Neal once fooled everyone into buying a hotel
How much exactly is Shaq worth currently? Well, his net worth stands at around $400 million right now, showing how he’s made it big in his career even after the NBA.
He’s made countless investments, kept up his career with ESPN, and created a reputable brand for himself. His celebrity status is massive at the moment.
In fact, it’s so big that he once fooled an entire hotel’s staff into thinking he bought the place. Shaq appeared on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, and the host explained how Shaq played a prank on an entire hotel management team.
“I’m thinking about you and I were shooting something for one of your shows,” Kimmel recalled. “And we went across the street to this hotel and we walked in the hotel and of course, people are like ‘oh my god, Shaq is in the hotel.”
“People were going crazy. They’re like ‘what are you doing here’ and you just told people in a very serious way, ‘I just bought the hotel’. Everyone believed it. Not for one second did they think. They’re like ‘oh wonderful, well, I’m the General Manager. It’s great to meet you.’”
It’s a hilarious story for sure, and it just goes to show what kind of entertaining and charismatic person Shaq is.