Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal made a fortune during his playing career, but he reckons he’d become a billionaire in a couple of years if he were playing today. During an appearance on FOX 26, O’Neal was asked how he’d fare if he were entering the NBA today, given how the game has changed, and made quite a claim.
“I’d be making $700 million a year,” O’Neal said.
When asked how he’d accomplish that, O’Neal, who earned $286 million in salaries in the NBA according to Spotrac, stated he would dominate against the cupcakes who are playing today.
“It’s a copycat league, and sometimes you have to do things that are different,” O’Neal stated. “When I came in, I said, I know I want to dominate. I could have did all the skill big man stuff, but I said, no, I want to dominate. I want to be recognized as the most dominant player ever. So you got big guys shooting threes. That’s to my advantage.
“As soon as you shoot the three, I’m closer to my end, and I don’t have to run as far,” O’Neal continued. “So I’mma run right down the middle of the lane and do this. And you and your whole team going to be crying, ‘3 seconds, 3 second.’ You going to try to double, and I’mma kick it. I’mma get it, and I’mma dunk it. If y’all try to double, triple, I’mma kick it to my man Kobe [Bryant], [Robert Horry].
“We going to win championship after championship,” O’Neal added. “And none of them dudes will be able to hold me.”
There are some who have doubts about how dominant O’Neal would be in today’s NBA, considering he couldn’t really shoot at all. He believes he’ll find success by going against the grain.
Ultimately, great players will be great no matter what era they played in. O’Neal won four titles, three Finals MVPs, one MVP, and two scoring titles in his career, which spanned from 1992 to 2011. He’d have comparable success if he played today.
Even if O’Neal had a lot more success, he wouldn’t be making $700 million a year. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is the highest-paid player in the NBA this season at $59.6 million. That’s about as much as anyone can get this season, no matter how successful they are.
O’Neal could win title after title, and the salary still won’t be triple figures anytime soon. So, is he making over $600 million a year in endorsements? No. O’Neal reportedly makes $95 million per year from endorsements currently. He perhaps would make a bit more if he were active today, but not anywhere close to $600 million.
This is not the first time that O’Neal has made such a statement. Back in 2024, he claimed he’d average 60 points in today’s era and get paid $300 million a year tax-free. He brought up the players being cupcakes then as well.
O’Neal was asked in this interview if he thinks today’s players are soft, based on the cupcake remark, and claimed he’s just doing it to upset them.
“That’s just saying stuff to get them mad,” O’Neal said. “That’s all. I don’t really mean that, but I just like to say it. Know it’s going to go viral. Know somebody going to react. ‘No, he couldn’t have played in this era.’ It is what it is.”
You probably shouldn’t be doing that, Shaq. He’ll keep at it, though.
