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“We ain’t rich, I am rich”: Shaquille O’Neal reveals the philosophy he uses to teach his kids to work for their own success and not their father’s $400 million net worth

Advait Jajodia
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"If You Like It, Buy the Stock, Not the Product": Shaquille O'Neal Shares His Philosophy That Built His $400 Million Empire

Former Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal explains the philosophy he uses to teach his kids to work for their own success.  

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most dominant figures NBA basketball has ever seen. Standing at 7-foot-1 and weighing a whopping 325 pounds, Shaq was a nightmare for any player who had the duty to guard him. And because of this inhuman size of his, The Diesel was able to command over the paint on both sides of the court, night in and night out for nearly two long decades.

With 15 All-Star appearances, 14 All-NBA selections, 2 Scoring titles, 4 NBA Championships, 3 Finals MVPs, 1 MVP, 28,596 points scored, numerous posterizers and several shattered backboards, Shaq is easily one of the most successful players we have ever witnessed.

And after the conclusion of his illustrious career too, O’Neal made several smart business decisions making him one of the smarter entrepreneurs in the league. Shaq is now known for his business mind and owns 17 Auntie Annie’s Pretzels restaurants, 40 fitness centres, 150 car washes, many Las Vegas night clubs and many more franchises, and has a massive $400 million net worth. However, he doesn’t want his kids (his sons mainly) to live off his money without putting their own work in.

Also Read: Gary Payton gives his reasoning behind picking the Bulls legend over his former Lakers teammate

And recently, Shaq revealed the philosophy he used to teach his kids to work for their own success.

Shaquille O’Neal explains how education is a must for his kids in order to be successful

Shaq has 6 kids, and he taught them one valuable lesson about money, hard work and success. A couple of months back, the former Lakers legend revealed the philosophy he used to motivate them to be hard working. During a discussion, Shaquille had said:

“My kids are older now. They kinda upset with me. They’re not really upset but they don’t understand. I tell them all the time we ain’t rich. I’m rich. No, you got to have bachelor’s or masters and then if you want to invest in one of your companies, you would have to present it to me and I’ll let you know. I’m not giving you nothing. The girls, I’ll take care of the girls, but the boys, they’re not getting nothing.”

He further spoke about the plans he envisioned for each of his kids.

“Yeah, I do, but I try to let them figure it out. There’s one rule: education. I don’t care if you play basketball. I don’t care about none of that. Listen, I got six kids. I would like a doctor, somebody to own a hedge fund, a pharmacist, a lawyer, someone that owns multiple businesses, someone to take over my business. But I tell them I’m not going to hand it to you. You gotta earn it.”

Also Read: Kendrick Perkins explains why he doubts the NOLA star could be the face of the league

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia

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Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over three years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,500+ articles.

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