Shaq has been 'evading' serving papers for an FTX-related lawsuit for 4 weeks, attorneys allege: report

• An Oklahoma resident is suing FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried and celebrities who endorsed the platform.
• Tom Brady, Giselle Bündchen, Stephen Curry, and Larry David are among some of the defendants.

Lawyers are having a hard time serving papers to Shaquille O'Neal for a lawsuit involving the FTX debacle, according to a Forbes report.

Shaq is one of many defendants in a class-action lawsuit that was filed in November shortly after FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange platform, collapsed. The suit alleges the company and its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried, deceived and took "advantage of unsophisticated investors," and celebrity endorsers failed to do their due diligence before marketing FTX's products to the public.

The plaintiff, Oklahoma resident Edwin Garrison, is claiming that he opened an account with FTX after "being exposed to" the "misrepresentations and omissions" of the defendants.

A wide cast of celebrities was pulled into the suit: Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Stephen Curry, and Larry David, among others. And, according to the lawyers, they've all been reached — all except Shaq.

Shaq's attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"We have spent great efforts (4 different service companies) trying to get you all served with our Complaint...Others have been more difficult to serve and are now joining these proceedings, either pro se or through counsel," Garrison's lawyers wrote in an email sent to defendants on Tuesday, which was obtained by Forbes. "Only one, however, has chosen to evade service, in order to draw out these proceedings, or to otherwise attempt to avoid answering for these allegations."

Shaq was one of the sports celebrities who appeared in FTX promotions and even hosted a music festival, Shaq's Fun House, that was sponsored by the exchange platform. But lawyers are having trouble reaching the 7-foot, 1-inch, former Lakers center, even at his own home, Forbes reported.

According to an email from the lawyers that was posted by Forbes, Shaq has managed to evade lawyers for "almost 4 weeks."

"The sole remaining Defendant to accept service of the complaint is Defendant Mr. Shaquille O'Neal, who we know has discussed the existence of this case, but is apparently still actively evading service, refusing to answer his home door when approached by our process servers," an email from Garrison's lawyers said.

Shaq has previously tweeted that he had teamed up with FTX to "help make crypto more accessible for everyone," appearing in a lighthearted advert for the platform.

But in the weeks after FTX collapsed and filed for bankruptcy, Shaq distanced himself from the company.

"A lot of people think I'm involved, but I was just a paid spokesperson for a commercial," he said in an interview with CNBC.