15 Years Later, $600,000,000 Worth Shaquille O’Neal’s Refusal to Pay $8 a Month to Elon Musk Could Revive Old Ghosts

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most active NBA legends on social media. The Big Diesel has over 15.9 million followers on Twitter alone and he keeps them entertained with his hilarious antics and engaging content. Twitter recently decided to remove the blue checks for legacy verified accounts not subscribed to Twitter Blue, which resulted in Shaq losing his verification badge as well. Interestingly, Shaq was a huge reason behind Twitter’s creation of the blue checkmark in the first place, over a decade ago.

Unlike many celebrities, O’Neal does not have a social media team. He recently stated that he himself posts everything on his social media platforms. But the Los Angeles Lakers legend still refused to pay $8 a month to Twitter CEO Elon Musk’s new policy despite having a staggering net worth of $600 million. However, this may have unforeseen consequences.

Shaquille O’Neal losing his verification badge on Twitter resurfaces old ghosts 

Over the years, Shaq has spent his hard-earned money on huge mansions, luxury cars, yachts, etc. However, the four-time NBA champion has so far shown reluctance in opting for a Twitter Blue subscription, which would cost him a mere $8 per month. This has ultimately resulted in him losing the blue check now.

O’Neal joined Twitter in 2008 mainly because of a fake account that impersonated him on the platform. According to a report from The New York Times, co-founder Biz Stone said that the fake Shaq account was the first celebrity impersonation he had heard of on the website. He had added that the platform is looking for ways to certify accounts so that the fans know they are actually following the celebrity and not an impersonator.

Eventually, this led to Twitter introducing the blue check to avoid confusion among fans. Even though Shaq was a big reason behind this decision, he lost his verification which could cause the creation of similar fake accounts once again.

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Elon Musk covers LeBron James’ subscription

Many superstars have lost their verification on Twitter recently including Tiger Woods, Patrick Mahomes, and so forth. Even soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who has over 108 million followers on the platform, lost it after apparently not subscribing.

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However, NBA superstar LeBron James‘ account is still verified, even though he tweeted last month that he would not pay for the subscription. Interestingly, Elon Musk is personally covering the Twitter Blue upgrade for James along with a few other accounts.