{"id":1776739,"date":"2022-12-15T16:02:57","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T21:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1776739"},"modified":"2022-12-15T16:03:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T21:03:00","slug":"shaq-on-endorsing-ftx-i-was-just-a-paid-spokesperson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shaq-on-endorsing-ftx-i-was-just-a-paid-spokesperson\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaq On Endorsing FTX: \u2018I Was Just A Paid Spokesperson\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fshaq-on-endorsing-ftx-i-was-just-a-paid-spokesperson%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1776739&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Basketball legend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/topic\/shaquille-oneal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shaquille O\u2019Neal<\/a> insisted that he is skeptical of <a href=\"http:\/\/dailywire.com\/topic\/cryptocurrency\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cryptocurrency<\/a> despite his recent endorsement of the now-collapsed digital asset empire run by <a href=\"http:\/\/dailywire.com\/topic\/sam-bankman-fried\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sam Bankman-Fried<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Cryptocurrency exchange FTX filed for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/30-year-old-billionaire-loses-entire-fortune-overnight-as-his-bahamas-based-cryptocurrency-empire-implodes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bankruptcy<\/a> last month after users learned that the company was intertwined with sister firm Alameda Research; both were controlled by Bankman-Fried and other amateur executives working from a luxury penthouse in the Bahamas. The entrepreneur was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/breaking-democrat-megadonor-sam-bankman-fried-arrested-in-bahamas-faces-criminal-charges-in-u-s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">arrested<\/a> this week by authorities in the island nation, where his companies were headquartered, as American officials unsealed criminal charges against him.<\/p>\n<p>Bankman-Fried spent millions of dollars recruiting celebrities as brand ambassadors in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/attorney-overseeing-ftx-bankruptcy-testifies-before-congress-grossly-inexperienced-people-ran-company-went-on-5-billion-spending-binge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">marketing blitz<\/a> as the company became increasingly strapped for cash. O\u2019Neal was featured in an FTX <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=XSu76VUIkEg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">commercial<\/a> as recently as June. \u201cI\u2019m excited to be partnering with FTX to help make crypto accessible for everyone,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m all in. Are you?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The four-time NBA champion distanced himself from FTX during an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2022\/12\/15\/shaq-on-crypto-ftx-post-collapse-i-was-just-a-paid-spokesperson.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">interview<\/a> with CNBC this week, claiming that he was not associated with the company beyond his appearance in the advertisement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of people think I\u2019m involved, but I was just a paid spokesperson for a commercial,\u201d he remarked. \u201cI have nothing to hide. If I was heavily involved, I would be at the forefront saying, \u2018Hey.\u2019 But I was just a paid spokesperson.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Neal said in the commercial that he checked his FTX account daily. When asked by CNBC if he is presently bullish on cryptocurrency, he offered a one-word response: \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Among the other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/from-brady-to-shaq-here-are-the-celebrities-who-lost-big-on-the-ftx-implosion\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cultural icons<\/a> FTX solicited to appear in advertisements were Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry, celebrity investor Kevin O\u2019Leary, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady and his supermodel ex-wife Gisele B\u00fcndchen. The company reportedly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/sam-bankman-fried-was-a-fan-of-tay-tay-badly-wanted-her-to-sign-100-million-marketing-deal-with-ftx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">offered<\/a> singer-songwriter Taylor Swift a sponsorship deal worth $100 million because Bankman-Fried was a diehard fan. Many of the influencers are now the subject of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/tom-brady-steph-curry-other-celebrities-sued-for-pushing-ponzi-scheme-ftx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lawsuit<\/a> claiming they participated in a \u201cfraudulent scheme\u201d meant to fool unsophisticated investors.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Leary, who said he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/kevin-oleary-says-he-fell-victim-to-groupthink-lost-all-of-his-15-million-payout-as-ftx-ambassador\">lost<\/a> the approximately $15 million in digital assets and equity he earned as a spokesperson of FTX, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/kevin-oleary-testifies-before-congress-after-endorsing-defunct-crypto-exchange-ftx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">testified<\/a> before the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday about potential regulations on the nascent sector.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe collapse of FTX is nothing new. While this situation is painful for shareholders, employees, and account holders, in the long run, it does not change this industry\u2019s promise,\u201d argued the entrepreneur, who holds investments in other cryptocurrency companies. \u201cEnron came and went and had no impact on the energy markets. Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers\u2019 demise had no impact on the long-term potential of American debt and equity markets.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Securities and Exchange Commission has officially charged Bankman-Fried with fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, securities fraud, securities fraud conspiracy, and money laundering. A complaint from the agency <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/officials-charge-sam-bankman-fried-of-using-customer-funds-for-lavish-real-estate-and-large-political-donations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">alleges<\/a> that he used commingled funds to make \u201cundisclosed venture investments, lavish real estate purchases, and large political donations.\u201d The disgraced entrepreneur, who has been denied bail due to the significant flight risk he poses, could <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/criminal-charges-against-democrat-megadonor-sam-bankman-fried-unsealed-faces-life-in-prison-denied-bail\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">spend<\/a> as much as 115 years in prison if convicted on all counts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Basketball legend Shaquille O\u2019Neal insisted that he is skeptical of cryptocurrency despite his recent endorsement of the now-collapsed digital asset empire run by Sam Bankman-Fried. Cryptocurrency exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy last month after users learned that the company was intertwined with sister firm Alameda Research; both were controlled by Bankman-Fried and other amateur executives &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":1776742,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[7156,6202,8965,7334,9413,9415,9414,6195],"class_list":["post-1776739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire","tag-i","tag-daily","tag-endorsing","tag-ftx","tag-paid","tag-shaq","tag-spokesperson","tag-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1776739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1776739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1776739\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1776742"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1776739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1776739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1776739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}