Shaq claims to be the highest-spending shopper at Walmart, a fact he says the CEO can confirm. But there was a time when the suspicious activity on his credit card during a Walmart shopping spree triggered an American Express investigation.
Even with his massive wealth, Shaq found himself under a credit card fraud investigation after an unexpected $70,000 Walmart shopping haul.
What was in his Shopping Cart?
When Shaq was traded from the Miami Heat to the Phoenix Suns during the 2007-2008 NBA season, the four-time NBA champion had to relocate.
Using his American Express, he headed to a Walmart in the Phoenix Valley area.
In an interview on “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel” on HBO six years ago, which recently resurfaced on social media, Shaq shared that he spent $70,000 at Walmart, buying essentials like pants, socks, tank tops, underwear, computers, TVs, and printers.
“I’m Walmart’s biggest customer. They know it,” Shaq said. “All day, every day.”
“I spent about $70,000 at Walmart. In one night. I spent so much, American Express thought my credit card was stolen. True story,” Shaq said.
“They’ve already got the apartment set up, but I ain’t got nothing. I ain’t got no towels. I ain’t got no pots and pans. I ain’t got no TVs,” he said.
According to Motley Fool, the average Walmart shopper, mostly women buying groceries, spends about $54.
Between 2007 and 2008, spending $70,000 would be equivalent to a little more than $106,000 today.
“The security team from American Express called me and said, ‘Hey, man. Somebody stole your credit card and went to Walmart.’ I said, ‘No, sir, that’s me,'” Shaq explained. “So they turned it back on, I got a couple trucks, and bam.”
Shaq is estimated to be worth around $400 million.
Goldberg expressed surprise at finding someone with Shaq’s wealth shopping at Walmart.
However, Shaq’s relationship with Walmart began early in his NBA career when he was a rising star with a popular sneaker line.
In 1995, after a mother complained about the high price of his Reebok shoes, Shaq decided to part ways with Reebok and launch his own affordable shoe brand in collaboration with Walmart.
As of 2021, this partnership resulted in the sale of more than 400 million pairs of Shaq-branded shoes, making them accessible to a wide range of consumers.
