With his stature and resume, Shaquille O’Neal can enter any room. That’s the leverage that he used to expand his net worth, which now stands at $500 million. It includes fast food chains, franchise businesses, despite having an iconic NBA career with on-court domination, and now broadcasting. Even though his spell with TNT ends, before the last hurrah, he apparently had a great time with another activity. But that came at a cost, thanks to the Big Aristotle’s stature.
“When Shaquille O’Neal takes a night off, he does it in style. During a break between NBA Playoff games, Shaq made his way to Chamber Magic — and promptly blew the roof off the room just by standing up.” Steve Cohen, nicknamed “the Millionaires’ Magician” for performing parlor tricks for wealthy clientele like Warren Buffett and Michael Bloomberg, wrote in his blog post. After completing his 25th anniversary of mastering illusionary craft work, this year, he had the Lakers legend in attendance.
“Shaq took a night off from NBA Playoff coverage… and spent it watching Chamber Magic in NYC! I didn’t dare sell the seats behind him — it wouldn’t have been fair to those folks. ” His Instagram post had the picture of two, and that’s where the revelation came that the 4x NBA champion’s presence meant that the tickets behind him couldn’t be sold to audience members. That place where “Chamber Magic” took place was in the Lotte New York Palace. It was built in 1882, and the Villard Mansion remains a testament to timeless elegance, with rich history and remarkable architecture.
But the loss must not be so remarkable. The blog post further added that Shaquille O’Neal “sat in the third row, towering above the rest of the audience (we didn’t sell tickets behind him — it just wouldn’t have been fair!). I had the pleasure of chatting with him before and after the performance, including a moment where I divined his favorite drink.” The 4th row tickets start from $175, plus a $8 convenience fee, not to forget that audience members often like to pay for a meet and greet during the exclusive event.
It’s an additional $25, but the venue only allows the show for a limited seating of 64 people. With Shaq’s frame of 7″1′, one can expect multiple tickets to be canceled, which leads to a total loss of more than $600 for the venue. But as one can see from the post, the magician known for the trick called Think-A-Drink — using his magic tea kettle, had no problem suffering the loss.
Shaquille O’Neal says goodbye to his TNT seat
For 36 years, TNT gave the fans unforgettable shows, especially Inside the NBA, which the Lakers legend was quick to join after his retirement. He joined the trio of fellow former players, Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, alongside the Host, Ernie Johnson. After TNT failed to win the media rights for the NBA, the clouds circled over the Inside Show’s future. But ESPN came in to protect the Emmy-award-winning show.
From next season, they will license the show and broadcast it, but only TNT holds the creative control. After game 6, where the Pacers sealed the win over the Knicks, it also sealed the goodbye for the crew. “Let me see that number one sign for the number one show ever on TV.” He even built up the hype for what’s expected for the future, stating, “And since it’s the last show, I’ll say it: We’re not coming to f— around. We’re kicking a–, we’re taking names, we’re taking over.” Anyone could get emotional listening to Shaquille O’Neal’s words.
Maybe that’s why he took some time between the games to enjoy the Chamber Magic. Even Steve Cohen would have understood the assignment and had no problem accommodating Shaq.
The post 7″1′ Shaquille O’Neal Causes Unique $600+ Loss With Surprise Visit to 143YO NYC Venue appeared first on EssentiallySports.
