Shaquille O’Neal is a household name in basketball history, having been among the greatest athletes ever to grace the court. However, he now faces a lawsuit involving a cryptocurrency company. Shaq allegedly spent millions of dollars trying to avoid getting served with papers for his involvement in the FTX scandal.

BBC | According to reports, Shaq spent millions of dollars to escape the lawsuit for months.

Recently, O’Neal was finally served - but this was not before creating some absurd tactics to avoid the legal process. Read on to find out what happened in this ongoing controversy involving the basketball icon.

Shaq's Involvement in the FTX Scandal

The FTX scandal was a cryptocurrency company that went bust, leaving investors in limbo. The state of Florida filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Shaq and other athletes, including Tom Brady, Naomi Osaka, and Steph Curry, for promoting the now-bankrupt FTX. However, Shaq was the only athlete who had not been served the papers until recently.

The Absurd Tactics of the 7-Footer

Shaq’s lawyers tried some pretty outrageous tactics indeed to keep him from being served. The first tactic was claiming that the papers were thrown on his vehicle as he was driving, and they landed on a public road. This, they argued, did not constitute service since it was on public property.

Yahoo | FTX is a cryptocurrency company that went bankrupt last year.

Similarly, the second tactic involved Shaq’s appearance on air as a part of the Game 4 pre-game show during the Eastern Conference Finals between Boston and Miami. The lawyers for the state of Florida cleverly anticipated this and approached Shaq at the arena just before the game started to serve him with the papers.

The NFT Platform Lawsuit

Shaquille O’Neal was also served with a second lawsuit involving his NFT platform called ‘Astrals Project.’ The suit is seeking $15 million in damages as investors claim that Shaq violated security laws by selling unregistered tokens.

It is not clear precisely how O’Neal is involved in the NFT platform. However, he is tied to its founding.

Shaq’s Response

Shaq has not yet issued any formal statement regarding the ongoing lawsuits. Neither has he commented on his alleged involvement in the FTX scandal nor the lawsuit concerning his NFT platform.

ABC | After months of dodging the state of Florida prosecutors, the 7-footer O’Neal, was finally served the papers. Plus, he is dealing with another major lawsuit.

Nevertheless, the basketball legend is expected to be in court to address these allegations.

Summing Up

The saga involving Shaq O’Neal and his alleged involvement in the FTX scandal continues. His silly tactics to avoid getting served the papers have garnered a lot of attention. But the overall issue is a serious one. The state of Florida is suing Shaq for $1.5 billion for promoting the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency company.

Additionally, there is a separate suit involving his NFT platform, and O’Neal has not yet issued any formal response to either case. As the lawsuits play out in court and more details come to light, this intriguing and controversial story is set to be a Johnny Depp & Amber trial of its own kind.