Shaquille O’Neal has played for over six different teams in his 19-year-long career in the NBA, raking in an impressive total of $286,344,668 in NBA salaries. The Diesel’s first contract was signed in 1992 with the Orlando Magic, a 4-year, $4,350,000 deal. This was followed by the Lakers offering Shaq a massive 7-year, $120, 000,000 contract in 1996. Amid an ongoing ugly spat with young Lakers star Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal was eventually traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. However, the big man later admitted that he never felt disrespected after being traded to multiple teams throughout his career because of his business mindset.
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Though Shaq made a lot of money, he wasn’t necessarily a franchise player following his stint with the Lakers. O’Neal never had the opportunity to play for only one team his entire life. During an interview with Complex in 2011, Shaq told the interviewer that he could evade any hard feelings about being traded because he understood how business is done in America.
Shaquille O’Neal sat down with Complex to talk about his trades in the NBA
Shaq made one of his first appearances after retiring from the NBA on Complex Magazine. The 2011 interview happened to coincide with David Stern vetoing Chris Paul’s trade to the Lakers.
With this backdrop in mind, the interviewer from Complex asked Shaq how he felt when he was traded in his career. In response, Shaquille O’Neal kept it real, “It didn’t matter to me, because I understand business. I’m a businessman. I have a bachelor’s in business, so I know what it’s all about. Know what I mean? I don’t take anything personally. If you want to go in a different direction then okay, cool.”
Shaq is someone who understood what the NBA is all about. O’Neal first signed with the Lakers for business reasons as well, with the LA side offering him $120,000,000, something that Orlando wasn’t ready to do.
On the other hand, Shaq was even asked by The Complex interviewer if he ever had any dilemmas relating to the clash of loyalty and more money. Shaq answered, “Yeah, that’s why I got traded a lot. People forget.”
Shaquille O’Neal is a businessman
Shaquille O’Neal during his 2011 interview with Complex emphasized how being a businessman helped him deal with the NBA as a business, not taking things personally. And because of that mindset, the four-time NBA Champion has made way more money off the court, than he did while playing.
People often forget that back in the ’80s, 90’s, and early 2000s, players rarely got 100-200 million-dollar contracts. However, O’Neal, who now has a net worth of around $400 million, was able to invest his money wisely.
Shaq not only has part-ownership in companies like Reebok but also has a strong franchise game. The big man owns franchises in Papa John’s, Auntie Annie’s Car Washes, Five Guys, 24-hour Fitness, and Krispy Kreme, just to name a few.
