Shaquille O'Neal made an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Thursday night, March 23, where among several topics, he and Kimmel got around to chatting about his reputation as a big tipper. Kimmel had been talking up the following day's ceremony in honor of the great NBA center, with his former L.A. Lakers organization set to open up the Staples Center for an unveiling of a gold statue in his likeness. Tipping is one of the ways Shaq shows his gratitude, and although he might not go the lengths of idolizing a server, he isn't above opening his wallet to the tune of thousands, for an accommodating host.
"When I'm at restaurants I am a big tipper, you know, I like to show people my appreciation," Shaq told Kimmel. He divulged that he typically tips his server off by promising they will stand to get more money out of him the quicker he receives his food. The 7'1" 325-pound Hall-of-Famer says he then asks the waiter just how much they'd like for their courtesy, before noting that he once forked over $4,000. According to Shaq, the waitress threw the number out bluntly. He was happy to find out just how responsibly she planned on spending the cash.
"Yea, it was a young lady. She said 'Oh my god, you're going to pay my rent for two months,'" he said. "I was like, 'no problem'."
Source: youtube.com
