NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has made millions even after retiring from playing the game of basketball. Over the years, he has made some smart business moves to see himself build a business empire. Some of his business gambles have made him richer. On the other hand, Shaq knows how to spend his money as well. He has one of the best car collections ever and owns huge mansions. The ‘Big Diesel’ also likes to gamble. He once revealed that he has made as high as a mindboggling $1 million bet and he won.
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Recently, Shaq appeared on the ‘Impaulsive’ podcast hosted by Logan Paul and his crew. During the sit-down, Paul and his team asked questions about various things and O’Neal gave some funny answers as usual. In one such instance, one of the co-hosts asked about gambling.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend admitted he used to gamble when he was younger, however, he stated he doesn’t gamble anymore because of his age and responsibilities. “I used to when I was your age, now that I am a dad, I have to relax,” O’Neal said.
But now he has found himself in a controversy because of a gambling ad in Australia.
The gambling ad featuring Shaquille O’Neal is receiving backlash
Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most loved former athletes ever. He recently made a tour of Australia and appeared on various shows and events. Many every queuing up to get an interview from the former MVP owing to his popularity in Australia. Even the ruling party of the country invited him to an event. But O’Neal has been receiving a lot of backlash over gambling ads that were aired in Australia.
In the ad, the Hall of Famer appears alongside an Aussie comedy group. As per reports, the complaint from the viewer said the material discriminated and vilified while painting Aussies as stupid yobbos.
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“I’m an Aussie too, and don’t identify as a yobbos lout like these characters are portrayed,” the complaint letter reads. “It’s offensive to me as an Australian to see my culture (put) down like this.”
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The four-time champion has not responded to the complaint, however, the betting agency has responded. The agency stated the ads were never intended to be disrespectful to Australians.
Shaq is someone that is always in the news for various reasons. However, in most cases, the news would be something positive. But this backlash has been an exception.