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“Black People don’t drink coffee!”: When Shaquille O’Neal named the biggest business regret he’s ever had

Raahib Singh
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"Black People don't drink coffee!": When Shaquille O'Neal named the biggest business regret he's ever had

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal made a lot of moves that made him a lot of money, however, this is the worst decision he’s ever made

NBA players and athletes all around the world are getting massively wealthy. They’re finding ways to make money both on and off the court, and that has been helping them generate their wealth. Shaquille O’Neal is a prime example of the same. The Lakers’ legend made his fair share of money when he played in the league but has only increased his net worth since retiring.

Shaq amassed a wealth of what he quotes to be around $400 million, all because of smart investments.

Shaq has often talked about the same.He is the joint owner of 155 Five Guys Burgers restaurants, 17 Auntie Annie’s Pretzels restaurants, 150 car washes, 40 24-hour fitness centers, a shopping center, a movie theater, and several Las Vegas nightclubs. Shaq also owns stake in Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Forever 21, and JCPenny.

Also Read: “If you go back and watch, you can see Isiah Thomas freezing me out”: When Michael Jordan blatantly revealed that the Pistons guard was behind the 1985 All Star freezeout

Shaquille O’Neal talks about the worst business decision he’s ever made

Having a lifetime worth of experience, and making countless deals, it was sure that there may have been a few fumbles along the way. In 2016, Shaquille O’Neal talked about the biggest fumble he made in the business world.

Shaq recalls the conversation with Howard Schulz, the CEO of Starbucks.

“Howard says, ‘Shaq, I want to give you the opportunity to go in with me and open up these Starbucks franchises in African-American communities.’ And I’m always a guy that, if I don’t believe in it, can’t do it. Will never do it. No amount of money can make me endorse something I’m not 100-percent behind. So I looked the great Howard Schultz in the face, and I said, ‘Black people don’t drink coffee, sir. I don’t think it’s gonna work.’ You should’ve seen his face.”

However, turning down that deal is now what Shaq considers his biggest business regret.

Also Read: “There was never any beef between me and Kevin Garnett”: Ray Allen shockingly denies there ever being a feud with the Celtics legend at his jersey retirement

If Shaq had not said no, he could have easily had been worth $100 million more.

About the author

Raahib Singh

Raahib Singh

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Raahib Singh is an NBA Journalist and Content Strategist at The SportsRush. A Computer Science Engineer by qualification, Raahib's passion for sports drew him towards TSR. He started playing basketball at 14 and has been following the NBA since 2013. His entry into the basketball world perfectly coincided with Stephen Curry putting the league on notice. Having followed the league for a long time, he decided to use his knowledge to become a sportswriter with The SportsRush in 2020. Raahib loves to put up some shots in his spare time, watch Cricket, Formula 1, and/or read a nice thriller.

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