Warriors superstar Stephen Curry was named the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion, and was honored on TNT’s Inside The NBA Tuesday night.
During the segment, Shaquille O’Neal offered him his congratulations and called Curry his favorite player. But he also told Curry, “Thanks for getting me in trouble. Don’t say nothing. Be quiet.”
O’Neal didn’t provide any other details as to how exactly Curry got him in trouble, and as instructed, Curry didn’t add any additional information either. For all we know, the Golden State sharpshooter and the former NBA big man found themselves in some sticky situation we’ve never heard about.
FTX?? pic.twitter.com/sdZr0LISWM
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 24, 2023
But as noted by Underdog Fantasy’s Rob Perez, Shaq and Curry do have a connection. Both were affiliated with the bankrupt company FTX, which was a celebrity-endorsed cryptocurrency giant.
At least $1 billion of client funds went “missing” at the failed firm, per Reuters. Those who lost money joined a class-action lawsuit filed against FTX and its founder Sam Bankman-Fried. The lawsuit alleges over $5 billion in damages on behalf of the class.
Shaq and Curry (as well as Tom Brady, Naomi Osaka, Trevor Lawrence, Shohei Ohtani, and the Warriors) were listed in the lawsuit. Here is more from Sports Illustrated:
“[The lawsuit] alleges FTX and the former CEO violated Florida law by misleading customers. The lawsuit claims these individuals, among others, ‘either controlled, promoted, assisted in, and actively participated’ in the alleged scheme where they ‘aggressively marketed’ FTX.”
As for why Shaq may blame the Golden State guard: Curry’s off-court business portfolio, SC30, signed an endorsement deal with FTX in August 2021. Curry then became a global ambassador for the company, was given an equity stake, and starred in a commercial for FTX in March 2022.
Shaq, meanwhile, was also featured in a commercial for FTX that was released in June 2022. But in December, during an interview with CNBC Make It, Shaq said that his “friendship” with Curry was the only reason he ever filmed the commercial.
Lawyers have reportedly struggled to find Shaq to serve him papers for the lawsuit.
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