Shaquille O’Neal’s ‘Starbucks ideology’ that caused a $100 million loss, came to the fore in a ‘Pretzel deal’

Shaquille O’Neal’s ‘Starbucks ideology’ that caused a $100 million loss, came to the fore in a ‘Pretzel deal’

Shaquille O’Neal is usually wise with his money, but sometimes, he’s had some preconceived notions about food and beverages which he’s used to make decisions.

The Lakers legend has amassed a massive net worth of $400 million. Shaq takes the time out to look at businesses, see which ones will net him profits, and then follow through on that.

Shaq’s TV personality has kept him famous and prevalent even after retirement. Shaq co-hosts Inside the NBA with Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith, forming one of the greatest sports talk shows in history.

In the past, Shaq has had some trouble with investments, but he’s turned that attitude around, and now, he goes after exactly what he wants. Of course, Shaq does have some interesting ideologies which at times make for interesting and somewhat questionable decisions.

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Shaquille O’Neal dropped Auntie Anne’s for the same reason he dropped Starbucks

Early in his career, Shaq had a massive opportunity to cash in on future profits. In 1998, Magic Johnson cashed in on the coffee wave when he convinced Starbucks owner Howard Schultz to open 125 stores across the U.S.

In 2010, Magic sold his stock and netted $10 million from it. However, there was a chance that Shaq could have gotten to it first. “My biggest mistake was not investing in Starbucks,” he explained. “I had the opportunity before Magic Johnson but I told Howard Schultz that black people don’t drink coffee because I never seen anyone in my family drink coffee.”

Shaq carried the same mindset with another business deal. This time it wasn’t a loss or a benefit for him, it just represented the same line of thinking that he used for Starbucks.

Shaq was the joint owner of several Auntie Anne’s chains, but he sold them because he, again, didn’t think that African Americans ate pretzels.

Whether Shaq is right or not is a completely separate story, but it is interesting to consider how he holds certain mindsets and attitudes in his business deals at times.

Shaq is a great businessman, owing to his incredible net worth. He owns over 100 car washes and 40 24-hour fitness centers among other things.

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Post Edited By: Raahib Singh
Los Angeles Lakers NBA Shaquille O'Neal

About the author

Ashish Priyadarshi

Ashish Priyadarshi is The SportsRush's content manager and editor. Ashish freelanced for 1 year in the NFL division before taking on an editorial role in the company. He then tacked on managing content while adding on a writing role in the NBA division. Ashish has been closely following the NFL and NBA since the 2012 season when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and Derrick Rose was at the height of his powers. Since then, Ashish has focused on honing his knowledge for both leagues in, even writing crossover pieces. In his free time, Ashish is an avid basketball player, he loves to watch movies and TV shows, immersing himself in the cinematic world. Ashish studies computer science and data science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and would love to mesh his love for sports with his technical skills.

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