Shaquille O'Neal ties $500 in cash to balloons, releases them for his birthday

Jason Owens
·Staff writer

Shaquille O’Neal is always looking for a smile.

The Hall of Famer and “Inside the NBA” showman will certainly succeed on that front if his birthday stunt from Tuesday succeeds.

O’Neal, celebrating his 46th birthday, decided to tie some cash to a bunch of balloons and launch them for some lucky finder.

Shaquille O’Neal launched cash into the Georgia skies on Tuesday. (AP)
Shaquille O’Neal launched cash into the Georgia skies on Tuesday. (AP)

“Hi, I’m Shaq O’Neal. It’s my birthday and I’m gonna do something special for somebody,” O’Neal said before launching the balloons into the air. “Make sure you hit me back and let me know you got my money. Thanks for all the birthday wishes.

“Five hundred dollars. Somebody’s going to be very happy. Thank you.”

It’s a cool gesture and a fun stunt for his birthday.

Whether that cash is ever recovered is a concern, though. It appears to be haphazardly tied to the balloon strings with no protection from the elements. And if those balloons die over water, deep in a forest or on some power lines, odds seem pretty slim of someone actually recovering the cash.

Hopefully somebody does, though. He’s working in TNT’s Atlanta studios Tuesday night, so we’re assuming that cash is flying in the skies of Georgia. Good luck, Shaq fans. And cash fans.

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