There was a time when NBA players had accrued a reputation as profligate spenders of their massive NBA salaries, who ended up bankrupt by the time they retired from the league. But NBA legends like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and Magic Johnson trail blazed the way to put an end to such tendencies among players. In fact, Shaq is the prime example of someone who squandered a lot of money early in his career and has still ended up with a $400 million fortune, through his wise investments in the economy and savvy business deals. $200,000,000 worth entrepreneur and finance influencer, Gary Vaynerchuck, popularly known as Gary Vee, tried to decipher the secret sauce to Shaq’s monumental success in the business world, during an interview a few months ago.
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Shaq has always been transparent about the secret ingredient to his success in the world of business. During a Wall Street Journal interview, the Big Man revealed that he had once heard Jeff Bezos say that he only invests in products that he thinks would change people’s lives. Shaq claimed that adopting the same mantra quadrupled his net worth in no time. The Lakers legend also stresses on the importance of understanding a business or an industry properly before investing in it.
Gary Vee revealed Shaq’s superpower to the public
During a sit-down session in November of last year, Gary Vee and Shaq addressed the queries of a room full of audience seeking their business wisdom. One young man from the audience asked the founder of VaynerMedia what he has learned from Shaq’s business acumen.
Vaynerchuck didn’t need time to think about his answer. He told the audience member, “I talk a lot about his curiosity. As I got to know him, it just clicked so fast to me that that was a superpower of his.”
“This guy’s f**king curious, he is inquisitive, and he is humble. Leaning more into curiosity always, always, always puts you in a good spot. And I think that’s why he has found himself in many different places…the lack of fear comes along with that. I’ve been inspired to triple down on my curiosity cause I see it in him,” the 47-year-old added.
Gary Vee seemed to have hit the nail on its head with his assessment. Shaq’s insatiable urge to learn about new things got him into rooms and environments that presented good investment opportunities. Like his early investment in Google happened because he overheard some guys discuss how the company would transform the Internet in the future.
This same curiosity also compelled Shaq to get an MBA from University because his peers wouldn’t respect him otherwise. Shaq’s superpower of curiosity is truly an important lesson to learn.
Kenny Smith recently revealed the astute business acumen of Shaquille O’Neal
During a recent interview with BigBoyTV, Shaq’s TNT colleague Kenny Smith revealed how wise the big man is as a businessman. Smith said that Shaq may present himself as a goofy prankster, but behind the scenes he’s always making big moves.
The former Houston Rockets guard named Shaq’s ownership in brands like Forever 21, Papa John ‘s, Krispy Kreme, Marilyn Monroe, Reebok, Muhammed Ali etc, to substantiate his point. Smith also claimed that he learns from the big man everyday about business.
