Shaquille O’Neal is back in the headlines. This time the Hall of Famer is cooking up something bold in Tampa Bay. Big Chicken, Shaq’s rapidly growing restaurant brand, is making its debut in Westchase on June 16. Located at 8725 W. Linebaugh Ave., the spot promises bold bites and a big personality. “Shaquille has always had a special connection with Tampa,” said Josh Halpern, CEO of Big Chicken. “The team opening this location really embodies what we’re about: big energy, big smiles and even bigger flavor.” And judging by the buzz around town, they’re not playing small.

Naturally, this flavor-packed move isn’t happening on its own. The franchise will be run by Tampa locals Sunny Movva along with Sammath and Amulya Reddy. Interestingly, the trio started out in information technology before pivoting to the food scene through a neighborhood pizza spot. But this time, they’re doubling down on fried chicken in one of Tampa’s most booming suburbs—and clearly, they’re confident in the switch.

Then again, that confidence didn’t come out of thin air. As Sam Reddy recalls, it was a single bite that sealed the deal. “The chicken segment is booming in the Greater Tampa area, and when we tried Big Chicken in Las Vegas, we knew we had to bring it home,” he said. “The Uncle Jerome sandwich with Nashville heat completely sold us.” That signature spice seems to have left a lasting impression—and now it’s headed to Florida.

What’s more, the grand opening is pulling out all the stops. According to the team, “The first 34 guests in line on opening day will win free Big Chicken for a year—$10 a week of bold flavor.” Guests can dig into the Original Big Chicken sandwich, the Uncle Jerome, or go big with The Ultimate—loaded with mac and cheese, crispy onions, and garlic BBQ aioli. And yes, they’re throwing in crinkle-cut fries and hand-spun milkshakes, too. Big energy, big bites indeed.

Shaq’s no stranger to business, he holds major stakes in ventures like Papa John’s, Krispy Kreme, and Big Chicken, alongside investments in tech and franchises, and Forbes pegs his net worth at around $500 million as of 2024. But when he jumped into crypto and NFTs, the risks caught up fast: he’ve paid an $11 million settlement over his Astrals NFT project and another $1.8 million over promoting FTX. These aren’t one-off flukes, they’re clear reminders that even icons can take serious hits when headline-grabbing bets don’t pan out.

However, all this fanfare comes with some serious baggage. What most people don’t know is that Shaq’s latest venture follows a painful financial blow—after already losing millions in two lawsuits.

Shaquille O’Neal lost $12.8 million in lawsuits

So while Shaquille O’Neal gears up to serve crispy chicken sandwiches in Tampa, his court battles have been heating up behind the scenes. Back in November, the NBA legend quietly agreed to a class action settlement related to his promotion of Astrals NFTs. The lawsuit, which had been hanging over him for months, finally caught up with him during an NBA game at Miami’s Kaseya Center—ironically, the venue once named after the now-disgraced FTX. He’d been facing claims from investors who bought into the Astrals NFT project based on his endorsements.

Then came the big financial blow. On August 16, a Miami judge ruled that investors had a solid case, acknowledging that Shaq acted as a seller of the NFTs. That ruling tipped the scales, and soon after, O’Neal agreed to fork out $11 million to settle the Astrals lawsuit and make it go away.

But that wasn’t all. Just weeks ago, O’Neal finalized a second settlement—this time for $1.8 million. This one came from his involvement with FTX, the crypto exchange that famously went belly-up. Though he didn’t admit to any wrongdoing, the deal aimed to put the controversy to rest. “We are pleased to have this matter behind us,” his legal team shared in a brief statement.

In fact, the proposed agreement, filed in Florida federal court, would wipe the slate clean. It includes a sweeping release from future liability, and blocks Shaq from trying to recover the money through the FTX bankruptcy estate. Now, whether fans or investors trust him again—well, that’s a different kind of rebound.