Shaquille O'Neal once playfully demanded a cash reward after stumbling across Sir David Beckham's wallet lying on the ground. The pair struck up a close friendship when the former Manchester United star made his move to LA Galaxy in 2007.
The Discovery
O'Neal, who had previously turned out for NBA giants the Los Angeles Lakers, recalled how he had initially intended to pocket the cash he discovered inside the wallet - until he realised just who it belonged to.
During an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, the 54-year-old said: "I was walking one day in Beverly Hills, and I found a wallet. Usually when I find wallets, I just take all the money out and I just throw them. But this was a nice wallet."
The Joke
Upon discovering the wallet belonged to Beckham, O'Neal decided to have a bit of fun at the former England international's expense. He said: "First I played a joke. I was like, 'I have your wallet, it's going to cost you a million dollars to get it back.'"
But he knew it was me. [Beckham said] 'Shaq, stop playing'. I was like 'Dave, I found your wallet.' The funny thing is he [Beckham] said, 'There was some money in this wallet, you know what happened?' And I was like, 'Nope.'"
Friendship Forged
Beckham's good-humoured reaction to the missing money gag highlighted the warm bond the two had developed since the footballer's move across the Atlantic. These days, the former United star serves as president and co-owner of MLS outfit Inter Miami, where he works alongside Lionel Messi.
The former Real Madrid star is expected to appear at this year's World Cup, which is being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The west coast is represented by San Francisco, LA and Seattle, with the USA national team playing two of their group stage fixtures at the Los Angeles Stadium (also known as the SoFi Stadium).
New Zealand, Iran, Switzerland, Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina will also play at the venue. Three knockout rounds are scheduled at the LA Stadium, comprising two round-of-32 clashes and a quarter-final tie.
Messi's Argentina side will kick off their group campaign against Algeria on Tuesday, June 16, at the Kansas City Stadium. Meanwhile, Beckham's beloved England are set to face Croatia on Wednesday, June 17 at the Dallas Stadium.
