John Salley Reveals Secret Plan to Repay Shaquille O’Neal’s $70,000 Loan After Lakers Icon Refused to Take a Dime Back

John Salley won four NBA titles during his career, including one with Shaquille O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. But one moment from their time together had nothing to do with basketball. Salley says Shaq once lent him $70,000 when he needed cash, then refused to take it back when Salley tried to repay him.

Salley shared the story in a 2019 interview with VladTV. It received renewed attention on October 17, 2026, when Josh Chambers posted a clip of his comments on X.

Salley says he now sees his business as a way to return the favor. In its report on Salley’s account of the $70,000 loan, TalkBasket quoted him explaining that he has Shaq “in my brain as an investor.” That describes Salley’s intention, not a confirmed formal investment or equity stake.

“And when I needed cash, he said, ‘How much?’ Seventy. Seventy thousand. And then this deal, I went back and said, ‘I’m going to…’ He said, ‘No, no, we’re good.’”

Shaq may have refused the money back, but John Salley found another way to repay him. When O’Neal wouldn’t accept the cash years later, Salley turned to business instead, building a presence. He co-founded Deuces22, a premium substance brand with his daughter Tyla, and partnered with GreenSpace Labs.

John Salley Has Another Plan to Return Shaq’s $70,000

O’Neal’s refusal did not make Salley forget the debt. As his business developed, Salley began considering how he could return the favor without simply handing back the original amount.

“He didn’t want it back,” Salley revealed. “And I was like, huh. And then somebody was like, ‘Yeah, people owe you, you still pay.’ And I was like, to this day, which I’m going to say on the show, because the cannabis business is becoming very, very good for us, I got him in my brain as an investor. You understand what I’m saying?”

Salley explained that he wants to calculate what the $70,000 might have earned over the years and give O’Neal a return based on that value.

“So when I kick back, it’s how many years ago was that? At this percentage, if you would’ve put it in the bank, it would’ve given you this,” he said. “Yeah, well, I’m going to give you this and this, and you can do whatever you want with it.”

There is an important distinction: Salley’s description of O’Neal as an investor reflects his own way of accounting for the favor. Published reports have not established that O’Neal formally invested in Salley’s cannabis business or received an equity stake.

The two share a history that extends beyond the loan. Salley also recalled a conversation involving O’Neal’s former girlfriend, Nicole “Hoopz” Alexander, whom he described as one of his favorite people.

“When he was with Hoopz… Hoopz is one of my favorite people on the planet, she told him, she was like, ‘That’s a real cat.’ And he always knows it.”

Salley’s account is not a newly disclosed financial arrangement. The loan story dates back to his earlier interview, while the renewed coverage has brought attention back to the gesture and his intention to recognize it. For Salley, the goal is to find a meaningful way to return the favor even though O’Neal has repeatedly declined repayment.

The post John Salley Reveals Secret Plan to Repay Shaquille O’Neal’s $70,000 Loan After Lakers Icon Refused to Take a Dime Back appeared first on EssentiallySports.