Having Made The ‘Investment Of A Lifetime’ In $1.57 Trillion Company, Shaquille O’Neal’s Business Acumen Gets Kenny Smith’s ‘Breakdown’

Arguably the most dominant basketball player of all time, Shaquille O’Neal, is also one of the richest to emerge from the NBA. The Lakers legend is worth $400 million and owns several franchises in and around the States. This is besides his investments and endorsement deals that made him filthy rich while he was still playing. Kenny “The Jet” Smith, recently stopped by BigBoyTV and talked about one of Shaq’s underrated attributes — his business acumen.

Back in 1999, when he had one of the biggest contracts in the NBA, O’Neal invested smartly in Google’s series A ($100 million) funding. Now, the company is worth over $1.57 trillion, making it his best investment as a businessman. Smith told us how this “goofy” acting man is actually the smartest person he knows.

Kenny Smith wants people to learn from Shaquille O’Neal — the businessman

In his recent appearance on The Big Interview, Kenny Smith and radio legend Big Boy came upon discussing Shaquille O’Neal as a businessman. And the former revealed how O’Neal explained to him that he is not saturated with a number of endorsements. Shaq spoke about how they have a short window after their playing careers end, so they should make the most out of it.

Kenny went on to talk about how “The Big Aristotle” advised him to be a partner with the brands and not just get endorsed. While wondering how people fail to perceive Shaq as a businessman, he and Big Boy went into detail about how Shaq owns everything from Papa John’s franchises, Forever 21 stores, rights to Marilyn Monroe, to even copiers and alkaline water!

Just watch the exchange in the following YouTube video by BigBoyTV.

Shaq’s investments and businesses

Shaq’s public net worth figures might be far lesser than how much he is actually worth. The Diesel has a diverse portfolio of investments in Multi-billion Dollar corporations like Google, Apple, Lyft Inc., Ring, and Vitaminwater.

Moreover, he owns around 370–400 franchises of gyms, restaurants, and car washes. The lands most of those franchises are built on, are also owned by O’Neal.

He is truly a brand in himself which is separate from his iconic basketball image. We just know about it less because of his personality. The Lakers’ legend strikes us as an entertaining analyst for one of the funniest sports shows in the business. But in reality, he is a savvy businessman.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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