We’ve all heard one of Shaq’s favorite nicknames: The Big Aristotle. BTW, that’s due to the fact that the big man holds a Doctorate in Education degree from Barry University in Miami. A big deal, for sure. Well, now it seems O’Neal is in for another “big” name… the Big Tipper. (No, not the starry constellation…)
At this point in his business and professional life, money is certainly not an issue for O’Neal. He earned millions in his NBA career, and then after retirement from the game, took it to the next (and the next!) level with various business deals, commercial endorsements and more.
We’re not privy to what the big man is exactly worth these days, but there’s no doubt it’s a big number, worthy of his stature. And as we’ve seen in other posts on the ShaqFu Radio blog, there are times when O’Neal is happy to spread some financial cheer as well.
In the past, we’ve seen him buy computers for moms with young students at home, pay off an engagement ring for a guy in a jewelry store, and even buy a new car for a large struggling family.
Now he’s done it again. According to a New York newspaper, Shaq was recently spotted at a Big Apple restaurant with a “mystery woman.” No big story there, Shaq goes out on a date now and then, for sure.
Here’s the story: When dinner was over, Shaq decided he would pay the dinner tab for EVERYONE in the establishment at the time! Not only that, he left a Shaq-sized tip for the wait staff too. One of the staffers reported it was perhaps the biggest ever seen.
It happened at the Chelsea hotspot Jue Lan Club. The newspaper even went as far as to say someone overheard describing the lady as “my date” and little more. We do know the lady did all the ordering for food and drinks. (TMI? Who knows…)
When it was all done, word is that O’Neal proceeded to buy dinner for the entire server team, and leave the monster tip. Clearly, O’Neal knows how to impress a lady.
It would be interesting to know how much the night set the big man back, for sure. But still, it’s so cool to know he’s willing to share and bring some happiness to people around him. Not only his date for the night, but others in the establishment. And especially the staff. Nice going, Big Tipper!