Shaquille O’Neal is worth nearly $450 million at this point. With the way that he has developed his business empire, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him become a billionaire during his lifetime.
But despite having all this money, Big Diesel has made it a point to ensure that his children know the value of it before he passes it on to them. And speaking in an interview once, O’Neal explained how Miami Heat owner Mickey Arison inspired his style of parenting.
“My favorite nepotism story is Nick and Mickey Arison,” Shaquille O’Neal said. “Mickey Arison owns the Miami Heat. He has a son, Nick Arison. Nice, young kid, who attended Duke University. So I’m reading an article in the paper that said the grandma left each kid when they turn 18, $100 million, and like 10 or 15% of the team.
“So I’m like wow. A couple of weeks later, I come in to shoot late at night, and Nick Arison is cleaning up the locker room… You see him outside with the marketing people, handing out tickets, handing out shirts, handing out gifts. You see him in the community, handing out gifts and doing this and doing that.
“And finally, in my last year there I saw him upstairs working in the marketing department. I’d never seen him in a suit the first three years. The kid’s worth $400 million, never seen him in a suit.
“The way Mickey handled that situation, imma do it the exact same way. His father could have said, at 18, when his grandmother gave [Nick] $100 million, ‘Just come work upstairs.’ But, no. I’ve seen this kid really work from the bottom.”
This is an incredible story and one that shows that despite having a lot of money, it is important for children to learn the value of hard work. And Shaquille O’Neal was surely inspired by it, as seen from the other things he’s said about raising his kids.
Shaquille O’Neal Wants His Children To Get Two Degrees If They Wish To Inherit Any Of His Wealth
Shaquille O’Neal is worth a lot of money, so when he passes, all six of his children stand to inherit generational wealth. But he has a rule for what they need to do to get their hands on any of his money.
“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 a bachelor’s or master’s 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.”
This whole situation is vintage Shaq, the man has his code that he lives by that has helped him become who he is. And it’s a testament to his constant will to learn that he imbibed that after watching someone significantly richer than even he is, do the same.
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