August 26, 2025
‘It was $70,000, so I put my card in it, and it declined. Then, pulled it out, put it again, and it declined again”
You can be extremely rich and still get your credit card declined, as NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal recalled that happening to him while he was still playing in the NBA, and Walmart declined his purchase of $70,000.
According to Benziga, in an interview that aired on The Late Late Show with James Corden over seven years ago, Shaq explained to the talk show host about the incident that led to his purchase being declined while shopping at Walmart. The timing was around the 2007-2008 NBA season when he was traded from the Miami Heat to the Phoenix Suns.
After the transaction went through, Shaq decided to head to Walmart because once he was traded and had a place to stay, it was unfurnished, so he wanted to buy some things for his new apartment in Arizona. As his place was bare, he didn’t have the patience to wait, so he went shopping. He claimed that the purchase is the largest in Walmart history.
“I have the biggest purchase in Walmart history, $70,000. I got traded from Miami to Phoenix, and I’m the type of guy I have no patience. When I get to Phoenix, they have an apartment for me; nothing is in it,” he told Corden.
As the merchandise was being rung up, he gave his credit card to the cashier, but it did not agree with the register. The card was declined several times.
O’Neal said, “So at the end, it was $70,000, so I put my card in it, and it declined. Then, pulled it out, put it again, and it declined again.”
As he felt bewildered that his card was being declined, he told them he’d be back. Meanwhile, American Express security had contacted him via phone and told him that someone had stolen his card and was trying to spend $70,000 at Walmart.
“So I told them I’d be back, and then the American Express security guard called me, ‘Hey man, somebody stole your credit card and spent $70,000 at Walmart,’ and I said no, that was me,” Shaquille O’Neal added.
They restored his spending abilities, and he was able to make the purchase that day.
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