'He Said, "How Much?"' — John Salley Says Shaquille O'Neal Handed Him $70,000 With No Contract, No Payback, Just Pure Brotherhood

"He said, ‘how much?'" Former NBA forward John Salley remembers posing that question and watching Shaquille O'Neal calmly peel off $70,000 in cash—no contract, no interest, just teammate trust. 

The spur-of-the-moment loan, Salley says, proved generosity in professional sports can loom as large as the 7-foot-1 center himself. Salley shared the memory during a September 2019 interview with VladTV.

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During the 1999-2000 campaign, Salley—then a 35-year-old reserve forward— accepted a veteran-minimum salary of roughly $510,000.

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O'Neal, midway through a seven-year, $120 million Lakers deal, was dominating the court. But off the court, he was just as impactful, showing that his generosity matched his superstar status.

By then, O'Neal's off-court portfolio had already included early Google shares and, later, a board seat with Papa John's PZZA. Those moves helped push his fortune toward $500 million, talkSPORT reported six months ago. 

Handing over $70,000, therefore, felt effortless, yet it bridged a real cash-flow crunch for Salley, whose prime-era contracts had dwindled after title runs in Detroit and Chicago.

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Retirement steered each teammate into new arenas. In February 2018, Salley partnered with GreenSpace Labs to introduce the GreenLite Screener, a handheld detector originally designed for U.S. military toxin testing. A year later, he and his daughter, Tyla, founded Deuces 22, a lifestyle cannabis label focused on quality flower and social-justice education.

In July 2019, Nevada-based Flower One Holdings announced a licensing deal allowing its 400,000-square-foot greenhouse to produce and distribute 22 Deuces products statewide. 

According to a March forecast from Grand View Research, the U.S. cannabis market could reach $76.39 billion by 2030, expanding more than 11% annually. Salley told VladTV he treats the forgotten loan as phantom equity: "I got him in my brain as an investor," he said, adding that O'Neal still waves off repayment.

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Deuces 22 has biodegradable / compostable materials that break down in 10 years. The company is also adding an augmented-reality feature to its labels so shoppers can scan every pack to see an authenticity message.

Its classroom arm, Deuces Academy, is dedicated to delivering educational and informative content to the community through articles, photos, short-form videos, and contests, aiming to engage and educate on various topics, potentially including social justice. 

Meanwhile, according to The Wolf of Franchises, O'Neal owns more than 150 fast-food outlets, 50 gyms, and multiple car wash chains, reinforcing a belief that wealth multiplies when shared.

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