This is How Shaquille O’Neal Spent $70,000 at Walmart

Former pro-basketball player Shaquille O’Neal who was profiled on HBO’s “Real Sports” for its latest episode, recalled how he once spent $70,000 at Walmart.

According to O’Neal, he says its the biggest single purchase in the history of Walmart.

“I spent about $70,000 in Walmart,” O’Neal said. “One night. I spent so much, American Express thought my credit card was stolen.”

“True story,” Shaq recalled. “I get traded from Miami and I go to Phoenix [in February of 2008]. And I’m very impatient, so they’ve already got the apartment set up, but I ain’t got nothin’. I ain’t got no towels. I ain’t got no pots and pans. I ain’t got no TVs. […] I’m Walmart’s biggest customer, and they know it.”

He recalls how American Express thought someone stole his card and said, “I get to the cash register and click it, and it says ‘declined,’ ” O’Neal recalled. “And I said, ‘Declined?’ Wipe [the card] off. ‘Declined.’ Security team from American Express called me and said, ‘Hey, man. Somebody stole your credit card. They’re at Walmart.’ I said, ‘No, sir. That’s me.’ The guy goes, ‘What the [expletive] are you buying at Walmart?’ ”

Once American Express figured out it was him making the transaction, O’Neal purchased two trucks worth of stuff to furnish his apartment.

It’s very hard to imagine someone spending $70,000 at Walmart to furnish an apartment, but he says its a true story.

Disclaimer: We have no position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE: WMT) and have not been compensated for this article.