So who’s this cup of joe doing in my hand?
Presented with the opportunity to work with the CEO of Starbucks to open more franchises in predominantly black neighborhoods, NBA great Shaquille O’Neal said that he declined the offer because “black people don’t drink coffee.”
Speaking to reporter Graham Bensinger, Shaq recalled his encounter with Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz.
“My agent called me up and he says ‘Howard Schultz wants to do business with you, and I’m like, ‘coffee, eh.’ Because growing up, in my household, I’d never seen a black person drink coffee. So it was my thought process that black people didn’t drink coffee.”
“I’m always a guy that, if I don’t believe in it, I can’t do it,” O’Neal said. “No amount of money can make me endorse something that I’m not 100% behind.
“I looked at the great Howard Schultz’s face and said, ‘Black people don’t drink coffee, sir. I don’t think it’s gonna work.’ And you should have seen the look on his face!”
Maybe I need to dump my cup. I never got the memo stating that I’m not supposed to drink this stuff.
