Shaq Bet Money On Episodes Of "Maury" During His NBA Career

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 18: Shaquille O'Neal is interviewed by reporters as he attends Sports Illustrated Club SI during the F1 Grand Prix of Las Vegas on November 18, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Shaq would bet with friends and teammates about who the father was in a particular episode.

Shaq recently revealed that he used to place huge bets on who the father was in episodes of Maury. “Every morning at 10 a.m., we’d wake up with thousands of dollars and we’d watch The Maury Povich Show. And we’d make bets on who the father is … Every day. So, like, we watch it, we let them talk, and then we pause and then we pull that money out. ‘I’ll bet you a thousand he’s not the father!’ So, that was my thing," Shaq told The Big Podcast.

Maury broadcast over 5500 episodes between 1991 and 2022. Meanwhile, Shaq's career spanned from 1992 to 2011. That means that feasibly, Shaq could have won and lost hundreds of thousands of dollars just from watching the popular, if controversial talk show.

Shaq Sides With Giannis On Pacers Game Ball Dispute

However, Maury isn't the only controversial topic that Shaq has weighed in on recently. Speaking with TMZ, Shaq said he sided with Giannis Antetokounmpo in the debate over who should get the game ball from the Bucks recent game with the Pacers. “I think by the letter of the law, if you’re playing at home, you should get the ball in both circumstances. But, you know I think Giannis had the right to be upset. [Speaking as Giannis] ‘Hey, We’re in Milwaukee, I just made history, I want the ball.’ And you know, he went after the ball," Shaq explained.

Tensions flared between Giannis and members of the Indiana Pacers after the Pacers seemingly took the game ball from Giannis' record-breaking night. A scuffle ensued in the corridor outside the visitors' locker room as Giannis confronted Tyrese Haliburton amongst others. This led to two versions of events. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said the team took the ball to mark Oscar Tshiebwe's first career points. Meanwhile, Giannis said he went looking for the ball to mark Damian Lillard moving into fifth place on the career three-pointers list. However, both Giannis and Carlisle agreed that the confrontation was "unfortunate".

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About The Author
Benjamin Mock (they/them) is a sports and culture writer working out of Philadelphia. Previously writing for the likes of Fixture, Dexerto, Fragster, and Jaxon, Ben has dedicated themselves to engaging and accessible articles about sports, esports, and internet culture. With a love for the weirder stories, you never quite know what to expect from their work.
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