Md. real estate mogul, Shaquille O’Neal in free-throw throwdown

WASHINGTON — Live! Casino & Hotel kicked off a casino promotion Thursday night with a free-throw contest between real estate developer David Cordish and NBA champ Shaquille O’Neal, and it ended in a tie.

The 77-year-old Cordish owns Live! Casino & Hotel’s developer, The Cordish Cos.

“I was sitting on my couch one night and my phone went off, and it was David Cordish challenging me to a free-throw competition,” O’Neal said. “I said, ‘I’m in.’”

The NBA Hall of Famer and Cordish went head to head in the free-throw contest, with both making their sudden-death shots after sinking three of six throws.

“I am never one to settle for a tie, so don’t be surprised if I challenge him again for a rematch,” Cordish said.

In a real-life “David vs Goliath” battle at Live! Casino & Hotel, NBA Hall of Famer and 4-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal took on David Cordish, Chairman of The Cordish Companies, in a head to head free-throw competition. The Megastar vs Mogul fight ended in a tie, when both made their sudden death shots after draining three of six throws. (PRNewsfoto/Live! Casino and Hotel)
In a real-life “David vs Goliath” battle at Live! Casino & Hotel, NBA Hall of Famer and four-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal took on David Cordish, Chairman of The Cordish Companies, in a head to head free-throw competition. The Megastar vs Mogul fight ended in a tie, when both made their sudden death shots after draining three of six throws. (PRNewsfoto/Live! Casino and Hotel)
In a real-life “David vs Goliath” battle at Live! Casino & Hotel, NBA Hall of Famer and 4-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal took on David Cordish, Chairman of The Cordish Companies, in a head to head free-throw competition. The Megastar vs Mogul fight ended in a tie, when both made their sudden death shots after draining three of six throws. (PRNewsfoto/Live! Casino and Hotel)
In a real-life “David vs Goliath” battle at Live! Casino & Hotel, NBA Hall of Famer and four-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal took on David Cordish, Chairman of The Cordish Companies, in a head to head free-throw competition. The Megastar vs Mogul fight ended in a tie, when both made their sudden death shots after draining three of six throws. (PRNewsfoto/Live! Casino and Hotel)
In a real-life “David vs Goliath” battle at Live! Casino & Hotel, NBA Hall of Famer and 4-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal took on David Cordish, Chairman of The Cordish Companies, in a head to head free-throw competition. The Megastar vs Mogul fight ended in a tie, when both made their sudden death shots after draining three of six throws. (PRNewsfoto/Live! Casino and Hotel)
In a real-life “David vs Goliath” battle at Live! Casino & Hotel, NBA Hall of Famer and four-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal took on David Cordish, Chairman of The Cordish Companies, in a head to head free-throw competition. The Megastar vs Mogul fight ended in a tie, when both made their sudden death shots after draining three of six throws. (PRNewsfoto/Live! Casino and Hotel)
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In a real-life “David vs Goliath” battle at Live! Casino & Hotel, NBA Hall of Famer and 4-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal took on David Cordish, Chairman of The Cordish Companies, in a head to head free-throw competition. The Megastar vs Mogul fight ended in a tie, when both made their sudden death shots after draining three of six throws. (PRNewsfoto/Live! Casino and Hotel)
In a real-life “David vs Goliath” battle at Live! Casino & Hotel, NBA Hall of Famer and 4-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal took on David Cordish, Chairman of The Cordish Companies, in a head to head free-throw competition. The Megastar vs Mogul fight ended in a tie, when both made their sudden death shots after draining three of six throws. (PRNewsfoto/Live! Casino and Hotel)
In a real-life “David vs Goliath” battle at Live! Casino & Hotel, NBA Hall of Famer and 4-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal took on David Cordish, Chairman of The Cordish Companies, in a head to head free-throw competition. The Megastar vs Mogul fight ended in a tie, when both made their sudden death shots after draining three of six throws. (PRNewsfoto/Live! Casino and Hotel)
Eight casino guests were also chosen to be on Team David and Team Shaq. The tie meant each team member won $1,200 in cash.

Live! was kicking off a monthlong promotion called “Sin to Win, with weekly themes of pride, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, envy and lust and $350,000 in cash and prizes.

Live! Casino & Hotel recently changed its name from Maryland Live! Casino, in preparation for the opening of its on-site hotel. The 17-story hotel will open early next year and is part of a $200 million expansion by The Cordish Cos.

Live! marked its fifth anniversary in June.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

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