Shaquille O’Neal has never pretended that making money is complicated. In fact, he insists it is simple if you understand one rule. On his YouTube channel, Shaq shared what he calls the foundation of his financial security, and it revolves around a single word he once had never even heard before: annuity.
“You need to invest in an annuity. I never knew what it was. I used to see this rich guy, really rich, older, 80, old Rolls-Royce and all that. And I asked him, I said, how? And he taught me a word I had never heard.”
“And I looked it up, because I was making so much money from commercials and all, I didn’t know what to do with it. And he’s like, you’re Shaq. All this money you’re making, if you put it away, you can invest it and you can start collecting at 50, 60, and 70. So that was my greatest investment.”
At the height of his playing career and commercial run, Shaq was earning enormous sums from endorsements on top of his NBA salary. He made about $286 million in career NBA earnings, but today he reportedly makes around $95 million per year from endorsements alone, which has helped push his net worth to roughly $500 million.
An annuity works in two phases. First, you grow the money during the accumulation period. Then, at a certain age, you begin receiving a steady income, potentially for the rest of your life.
Shaq liked the idea that he could lock in future payments at 50, 60, and 70 without worrying about whether his businesses or endorsements were still thriving. For him, it created guaranteed stability. He calls it his greatest investment.
That advice is rooted in a harsh reality. Shaq has often spoken openly about how easy it is for NBA players to go broke. In his own words, it is easy to spend $100 million if you do not pay attention.
Expensive homes, luxury cars, entourages, bad business deals, and poor financial guidance can drain wealth faster than most people realize. Shaq has seen it happen to former players and insists the lifestyle can be a trap if you are not disciplined.
His approach has always been different. Beyond annuities, he has built a diverse empire across footwear, food franchises, real estate, esports, fitness, and brand management.
But even with all those ventures, Shaq still points back to the annuity strategy as the backbone.
Shaq’s master plan is not flashy. It is not about chasing the next hot startup or gambling on risky ventures. It is about discipline, long-term thinking, and building guaranteed income streams that protect you decades after the spotlight fades.
