Shaquille O’Neal retired as one of the greatest Centers to ever play the game. One of the most successful big men in NBA history, Shaq managed to rack up some of the most prestigious accolades available – four Championships, three Finals Most Valuable Player trophies, and one MVP, among a long list of impressive achievements. Following a distinguished NBA career, O’Neal managed to skyrocket his net worth to $400,000,000 thanks to his smart investment strategies. When asked to open up about his perspective on failing, the Big Aristotle had a similar answer to Michael Jordan’s approach to failure.
Advertisement
In one of the advertisements for the Jordan Brand, Michael Jordan mentioned all the failures he witnessed during his career. As heard in the iconic commercial, the Chicago Bulls legend speaks about missing thousands of shots and losing hundreds of games. Failing on numerous occasions is what allowed MJ to succeed.
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot — and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
Having a similar opinion, Shaq also gave his insights on the importance of failing.
Shaquille O’Neal on the importance of failures
Late in 2022, Shaquille O’Neal made an appearance on Gary Vee’s live Q&A session. In the hour-long event, both celebrities were asked several questions by their fans. At one point in the video, a fan asked them about their opinions on failures.
According to the Big Aristotle, failure is an essential step towards success. The NBA Hall of Famer went on to talk about the learnings one acquires from failures.
“Before you succeed you must first learn to fail. But you never wanna keep making the same mistakes twice. So whatever you did and failed, delete that sh*t. Control, right Alt, Delete. Never do it again. And then make it a game for yourself, “Imma try it this way”… Disappointment will only make you stronger. It’s a very, very small percentage that gets it right the first time. The rest of us, we have to fail, we have to argue, we have to fight, we have to do this, we have to do that.”
Eventually, O’Neal stated how he never allowed the thoughts of failing to creep in before beginning a new venture. He’d simply adjust if things went in the wrong direction.
“But I never think about failing. Never ever. I always think about the positive outcome and then sometimes when reality kicks in, failure happens and you just adjust. Life is about adjusting.”
Shaq earned more than $286 million from his contract earnings as an NBA player. However, it was this positive philosophy of his that allowed him to create a business empire for himself.
Shaq’s business ventures
After splurging $1 million in a single day, Shaq soon learned the importance of taxes, savings, and investments. Since his time as a youngster in the league, O’Neal has had several endorsements and made smart investments that have helped him rack up a staggering $400 million net worth today.
Apart from owning multiple gyms, car washes, and restaurants, the 51-year-old has also invested in companies such as Google, Apple, Lyft Inc., and Ring. His extensive portfolio has enabled him to make generous donations over the years.
