When Shaquille O'Neal was accused by his ex-girlfriend, putting his $400 million net worth in jeopardy
Shaquille O'Neal is one of the funniest NBA players of all time and while fame can always get to people, it didn't seem to get to Shaq. He has been the same type of person since the day his NBA career started and that's being a funny guy.
O'Neal averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks throughout his career. He played in the NBA from 1992-2010, including stints with the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics.
The stints with Orlando and Los Angeles were the best of his career, including multiple years averaging over 28 points per game.
Like many professional athletes, they get involved in things at times that they shouldn't and O'Neal has also done the same. This includes a time when an ex-girlfriend filed a lawsuit against him. Shaquille O'Neal was said to have assaulted Vannesa Lopez, his ex-girlfriend of the time, and that he and his sisters were emotionally abusing her.
Shaquille O'Neal was found non-guilty
It was eventually put to light that Lopez's story wasn't true. This comes after a two-year-long court case, where the judge then dismissed the charges. The judge reportedly found issues in the statements issued by the ex-girlfriend that couldn't prove O'Neal guilty.
Shaquille O'Neal didn't get in any legal trouble, as the judge stated the following:
“[Lopez] lied often. She lied about facts important to the defense, and she demonstrated an utter disrespect for the system of justice,”
Sadly, this is something that happens too often for professional athletes. While there are cases when such tragic things happen, there are also times when people try to get money from them. These athletes have more money than most people in the world and Shaquille O'Neal is one of them.
It's uncertain how long or when the two dated, but it seems safe to say that they aren't seeing each other any longer. According to reports, O'Neal is now worth over $400 million and that will only continue to rise as he takes on more gigs. He's been seen in movies, TV Shows, analyst positions, and much more.
Deservingly so, as Shaquille O'Neal has one of the best personalities on TV. Whether that be messing around on TNT to appearing in movies, he always finds a way to often make the audience smile.