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[Saba Sports News] Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal and his Jersey Legends Productions are embroiled in a lawsuit filed by ex-employee Donnie Wilson. Wilson, who worked as O’Neal’s Community Relations Director from 1996 to 2006, claims he joined Jersey Legends in 2019 under the impression of receiving an 18 percent ownership and a partnership role, as verbally agreed upon by Michael Parris, O’Neal’s business partner. He asserts that despite his contributions, including to an Oscar-winning film, he wasn’t compensated and the agreement was never formalized in writing.
The lawsuit accuses O’Neal and Parris of breach of contract, labor code violations, and professional conduct violations, with Wilson citing financial and emotional distress. O’Neal has yet to respond to these allegations.
In addition, O’Neal is entangled in a lawsuit over the FTX cryptocurrency exchange collapse. He, along with other celebrities, is accused of deceiving investors through promotional activities for FTX. O’Neal was served legal papers during an NBA playoff game broadcast, after reportedly avoiding process servers for months. The FTX lawsuit is part of a larger legal battle following the exchange’s bankruptcy filing in November 2022.
Another legal issue involves allegations against O’Neal and his son for promoting an NFT project, ASTRALS, which they allegedly later abandoned. These lawsuits highlight the complexities and risks of celebrity endorsements in the cryptocurrency space, with O’Neal’s reputation and finances potentially impacted.