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How Shaquille O’Neal Built a Fortune: See the Shaq’s Crazy Net Worth
Do you understand the value of putting in a lot of effort, being passionate about what you do, and working hard to achieve greatness? Shaquille O’Neal is the perfect example of these traits. Shaq’s road to success is nothing short of inspirational, starting with his humble origins as a young boy in Newark, New Jersey, to becoming one of the best basketball players of all time. Yet it’s not simply his on-court prowess that has made him a legend; his outstanding business sense and entrepreneurial zeal have also enabled him to amass a genuinely unbelievable wealth.
I humbly welcome you to join me today as we examine the amazing tale of how Shaquille O’Neal Built a Fortune: See Shaq’s Crazy Net. This is the tale of Shaq’s incredible wealth that will astound you, so get ready to be inspired, impressed, and perhaps even a little jealous (smiles).
Shaquille O’Neal Brief Biography
On March 6, 1972, Shaquille O’Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey. A military family raised him, and he traveled extensively as a young child. In San Antonio, Texas, where he attended high school, Shaq started honing his basketball abilities.
Shaq played basketball for three years at Louisiana State University after graduating from high school. The Orlando Magic selected him first overall in the 1992 NBA Draft. Shaq rapidly established himself as one of the league’s most dominant players, winning Rookie of the Year accolades in his debut campaign.
Shaq played for six different NBA clubs during his 19-year career, including the Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, and Los Angeles Lakers. Three of his four NBA titles were won by the Lakers, while one was won by the Heat. Shaq was a 15-time NBA All-Star as well as a three-time NBA Finals MVP.
His Education
O’Neal left LSU early for the NBA, but LSU granted him a BA in general studies in 2000, and he earned an online MBA from the University of Phoenix in 2005. In 2012, he achieved his Ed.D. Human Resource Development from Barry University, while also studying directing and cinematography at the New York Film Academy. Additionally, O’Neal took part in a training camp at Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2009.
His Marriage
Shaquille O’Neal wed Shaunie Nelson in 2002, and they have four children together. O’Neal has a daughter from a previous relationship, while Nelson has a son from a previous relationship. They filed for divorce in 2007, withdrew it, but later divorced in 2011. Their son, Shareef, played basketball in high school and college.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Professional Career
In 1992, the Orlando Magic drafted O’Neal as the first overall pick. He was mentored by Magic Johnson in LA before moving, wore number 32 as 33 was taken, and was named Rookie of the Year in 1993 averaging 23.4 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game. The Magic won 20 more games than the previous season but missed the playoffs due to a tiebreaker. During the year, O’Neal wanted the team’s coach, Matty Guokas, replaced with assistant Brian Hill.
O’Neal’s 2nd season saw Hill coach, improving O’Neal’s scoring to 29.4 points; he led in field goal percentage at 60%, recorded his first career triple-double with 24 points, 28 rebounds & 15 blocks, and averaged 20.7 points, and 13.3 rebounds in his 1st playoff series.
O’Neal, with Hardaway, won Atlantic Division, defeating Celtics and Bulls but losing NBA Finals to the Rockets despite good stats. Injured next season, still All-NBA 3rd, 4th All-Star Game but eliminated by Bulls in Conference Finals despite a 60-22 record. Shaq is proof that you can be anything you want to be, follow me through his career journey.
Championship seasons
In 1999, the Lakers hired Phil Jackson, who told O’Neal that the NBA MVP trophy should be named after him. O’Neal scored 61 points on his birthday, won the scoring title, was the MVP runner-up, and was selected for the All-Defensive Team.
In 2002, Shaquille O’Neal punched an opponent during a game against the Chicago Bulls, causing a brawl with other players, resulting in his suspension and fine. During the Western Conference finals against the Sacramento Kings, O’Neal accused and ridiculed Vlade Divac for flopping and cheating. He also struggled with pain in his right toe, leading to corrective options. O’Neal’s success with Kobe Bryant in leading the Lakers to three consecutive championships using the triangle offense earned him NBA Finals MVP honors each time.
Toe surgery to departure
In the 2002-03 NBA season, O’Neal had toe surgery which caused him to miss 12 games. The Lakers started the season 11-19 and failed to reach the finals. In the following season, the team acquired Karl Malone and Gary Payton but there was increasing tension between O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. Lakers demanded O’Neal take less money but he demanded more and said ‘Pay me’. The Lakers made the playoffs in the 2003-04 season but lost to Detroit Pistons. O’Neal demanded a trade and eventually agreed to a trade with Miami Heat since the Lakers couldn’t give him a huge pay raise.
Retirement
Shaquille O’Neal joined the Boston Celtics in 2010 for $2.8 million but couldn’t get the larger mid-level exception contract. O’Neal missed many games throughout the season due to various injuries and privately wanted to start, whereas publicly he insisted to be part of the second unit. The Celtics thought of trading away center Kendrick Perkins partially due to the expectation that O’Neal would fill Perkins’ role. O’Neal announced his retirement on June 1, 2011, via social media, and had a press conference at his home in Orlando to announce it officially on June 3, 2011.
Shaquille O’Neal as a Media Personality
Shaquille O’Neal had several nicknames including “Shaq”, “The Diesel”, and “The Big Aristotle”. O’Neal also appeared on television and hosted a reality show called Shaq’s Big Challenge. In 2008, he freestyled a diss rap about Bryant in which he blamed him for his divorce and taunted him for not being able to win without him. O’Neal received backlash for his use of a racially derogatory word in the song.
Music career
Shaquille O’Neal, first composed rap in 1993, and released 5 studio albums and 1 compilation, “Shaquille O’Neal was featured alongside Michael Jackson on “2 Bad” in 1995, conducted the Boston Pops Orchestra in Dec 2010, and started DJing in the 1980s. O’Neal now produces electronic music, DJs, and tours under the stage name DIESEL. In Oct 2021, performed my first set as DJ DIESEL at Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas.
Acting
O’Neal acted in various films, some poorly reviewed. He played Steel, the first black comic book superhero in a motion picture, and appeared in cameo roles for several films and music videos. He voiced himself in animated series like Static Shock and Uncle Grandpa and had a voice-over role in The Smurfs 2 making over $20 million in acting.
Tv
Furthermore, O’Neal was featured in the documentary Apple Pie on ESPN, had the reality series Shaquille and Shaq’s Big Challenge, appeared on NBA Ballers, Discovery Channel special Motorcycle Mania 2, Idol Gives Back, Fear Factor, MTV’s Jackass, WWE, AEW events, and Punk’d, starred in Shaq Vs. the reality show, joined TNT as NBA analyst, hosted Upload with Shaquille O’Neal on TruTV, visited Seo Incheon High School in South Korea for Off to School, and signed a long-term contract extension as host on Inside the NBA with Warner Bros. Discovery Sports.
Advert
Shaq appeared in numerous commercials for various brands, including Pepsi, Reebok, Nestlé Crunch, and Papa John’s. Additionally, he also appeared in parodies of TV shows, such as I Love Lucy and Bonanza, in Pepsi ads. Additionally, he was featured in commercials for Gold Bond, Buick, The General, Hulu, Epson, and IcyHot. He up to $200 Million for commercials even while he was playing.
Shaquille O’Neal as a Wrestler
O’Neal trained in MMA at a Gracie gym in 2000, learning boxing, jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, and wrestling. He went by “Diesel” and later challenged kickboxer Choi Hong-man to about. Choi expressed willingness but said O’Neal had no chance. O’Neal reiterated his desire to fight Choi in a 2010 UFC 118 interview.
O’Neal is a lifelong wrestling fan who has made appearances for four different promotions. Additionally, he appeared in WCW in 1994, served as a guest host for WWE’s Monday Night Raw in 2009, and made a guest appearance on TNA’s Impact Wrestling program in 2012. Shaq participated in his first-ever match in 2016 and was teased to arrive in AEW in 2020. He appeared in a sit-down interview, wrestled, and was driven through tables in 2021 on AEW Dynamite, making up to $75 Million.
Shaquille O’Neal as a Law Enforcement
Shaquille O’Neal was involved in law enforcement, having been through the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Reserve Academy and becoming a reserve officer with the Los Angeles Port Police. Consequently, he assumed various roles in law enforcement, including an honorary U.S. Deputy Marshal title and spokesperson for the Safe Surfin’ Foundation, Miami Beach reserve officer, and sheriff’s deputy in Jonesboro, Georgia.
Shaquille O’Neal Business
Shaquille O’Neal, a former NBA player, and retired athlete, has numerous business ventures and investments, including stocks in various companies and real-estate development projects. Additionally, he is an early investor in Google and an active real estate entrepreneur who aims to assist Orlando homeowners facing foreclosure. O’Neal owns several franchising businesses such as Krispy Kreme, Five Guys, and Auntie Anne’s, and is an investor for Esports team NRG Esports. He is also a shareholder of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX and is currently being sued for promoting unregistered securities.
There was a statics that estimate 60% of NBA players usually go broke five years after they stop playing, However, Shaq determines not to be part of that Estimation, Therefore he used his talent on the basketball court and as a savvy investor to build a net worth of $400 million.
Shaquille O’Neal earned $292 million, or the majority of his money, while he was a professional basketball player. Shaq was a commercially savvy player even off the court; he engaged an accountant early on to assist him manage his money. His first investment was in a pay-to-wash car wash.
Shaquille’s Award
NBA
- Four-time NBA Champion
- Three-time NBA Finals MVP
- 2000 NBA MVP
- 15-time NBA All-Star
- Three-time NBA All-Star Game MVP
- Eight-time All-NBA First Team
- Two-time All-NBA Second Team
- Four-time All-NBA Third Team
- Three-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year
- 1993 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- Two-time NBA scoring champion
- NBA 50th Anniversary Team
- NBA 75th Anniversary Team
- Number 32 retired by the Miami Heat
- Number 34 retired by the Los Angeles Lakers
USA Basketball
- 1996 Olympic Gold Medal
- 1994 FIBA World Cup
- 1994 FIBA World Cup MVP
- 1994 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year
NCAA
- 1991 Adolph Rupp Trophy winner
- Two-time Consensus All-American
- Number 33 retired by the LSU Tigers
Media
- 1991 Associated Press Player of the Year
- 1991 UPI Player of the Year
- 2005 BET Sportsman of the Year
Sports Emmy Awards
- 2012 – Outstanding Promotional Announcement
Academy Awards
- 2022 – Short Subject Documentary (as an executive producer of The Queen of Basketball)
Halls of Fame
- Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame (2016)
- College Basketball Hall of Fame (2014)
- FIBA Hall of Fame (2017)
FAQs
What is Shaquille O’Neal’s Net Worth?
- $400 million.
Is Shaquille O’Neal still Married?
- No but in a Relationship with Nigerian-American Actress Annie Ilonzeh Ngozi.
What is Shaquille O’Neal doing now?
- NBA analyst for Turner Sports.
