Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal recently recounted a funny encounter involving David Beckham’s wallet during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden. The two sports icons, who have shared a friendship since Beckham’s time with LA Galaxy, exchanged lighthearted banter after Shaq found the football star’s wallet while walking in Beverly Hills.
Standing 7ft 1in tall, Shaq is known not only for his skills on the court but also for his playful sense of humor. He explained how he initially considered keeping the cash inside the wallet. “Usually when I find wallets, I just take all the money out and throw them away,” Shaq joked. But Beckham’s wallet stood out as “particularly nice.”
Once he realized the wallet belonged to Beckham, Shaq decided to have some fun. “I played a joke,” Shaq told Corden. “I said, ‘I have your wallet, it’s going to cost you a million dollars to get it back.’ But he knew it was me. David said, ‘Shaq, stop playing.’ I said, ‘Dave, I found your wallet.’ Then he asked, ‘There was some money in this wallet, you know what happened?’ And I was like, ‘Nope.’”
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Shaquille O’Neal retired from professional basketball in 2012 but remains an iconic figure thanks to a stellar career highlighted by four NBA championships—three with the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant, and one with the Miami Heat. An NBA MVP in 2000 with 15 All-Star selections, Shaq also played for the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics.
David Beckham, who retired from professional football in 2013, enjoyed a celebrated career with top clubs including Manchester United, Real Madrid, LA Galaxy, AC Milan, and PSG. He earned 115 caps for England and captained the national team for six years. Now based in the UK with his wife Victoria, Beckham frequently travels back to the U.S., where he is part-owner of MLS club Inter Miami, the team that made headlines in 2023 by signing Lionel Messi.
The playful wallet incident offers a glimpse into the fun friendship between two sporting legends from different worlds.