Shaquille O’Neal is one of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game, but he is also one of the savviest businessmen to come out of the league. ‘Big Diesel’ has been dominating the competition ever since his retirement, just like he did on the basketball court, but this time it is financially.
Outside investing in companies, Shaq has made a lot of money in the food industry. He once owned 155 Five Guys franchises and currently has franchises in Papa John’s Pizza, Auntie Anne’s, and other popular food brands. However, he has also opened various restaurants in his lifetime. One of those was a burger restaurant where Shaq served a burger in his name and a burger in the name of his former teammate, Kobe Bryant.
He once appeared on The Jimmy Kimmel Show and was asked by Kimmel about which burger is better between the one named after him and the one named after Kobe. Shaq confidently said his burger was better, but he admitted that the Kobe burger has one extra onion ring.
Kimmel: “You have a Shaq burger and you have a Kobe burger, which one is better?
Shaq: “The Shaq burger, of course.”
Kimmel: “Does the Kobe burger come with more onion rings?
Shaq: “That’s a good one. Yes, one more.”
Shaq And His Life Outside Basketball
Shaq has had a career in both Hollywood and the music industry, is currently on a TV show as a basketball analyst, and is a very active investor as well. O’Neal made crucial early investments into companies like Google in 2004. He has invested in Lyft, Ring, Vitaminwater, and many other companies.
Considering NBA players reach their retirement age much earlier than people in other professions, they have to be financially wise to turn the millions they receive in NBA contracts into something that can multiply and sustain generations of the family.
Shaq has raised his family to not develop a sense of entitlement, setting up a lot of goals that his children need to achieve before they are entitled to the money he has worked for his entire career.
Hopefully, the O’Neal kids can also reach the heights Shaq has and open restaurants in the future. Shaq had a Kobe burger and now has menu items named after Charles Barkley as well.
