It can be said that after many years away from his playing career, Shaquille O’Neal is still doing extremely well, earning money regularly and living to the fullest with his passion for football. Truly the ultimate life.
After more than two decades of bombardment, setting and breaking records in the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal decided to hang up his size 23 US shoes in 2011.
From the moment he entered the professional path in 1992, Shaq has been the most prominent name.
With a muscular body and great height, Shaq overwhelms all opponents with the perfect combination of strength and skill. But he doesn’t stop there, Shaquille O’Neal also has a very unique personality, factors that help him quickly become one of the most special players in the tournament.
Coming to the NBA with the Orlando Magic, Shaq brought home the most expensive rookie contract at that time with 41 million dollars over 7 years.
O’Neal in an Orlando Magic shirt in the 1990s
O’Neal’s basketball career was quite impressive and helped Shaq pocket a lot of money, but it was nothing compared to the subsequent career of “Superman”.
Nearly 10 years after retiring, Shaquille O’Neal is still pocketing about $20-30 million a year thanks to two main sources of income including investments and famous television personalities.
According to statistics, Shaq has advertised more than 50 different products in his entire career, which has helped him earn a decent income.
But O’Neal’s huge profits come from many lucrative businesses including 155 Five Guys Burgers and Fried stores, a chain of car washes, many gyms, 3 nightclubs in Las Vegas, many restaurants. Auntie Anne’s pretzels and more.
Shaquille O’Neal appears on Pepsi advertising poster
It is estimated that Shaq’s total income to date has exceeded $700 million. This result shows that one of the strongest centers in NBA history also knows how to apply his strengths in making money.
So what’s interesting about Shaquille O’Neal’s money and career? Below are notable highlights about him.
Huge income from his time playing in the NBA
The Orlando Magic took a bet on Shaquille O’Neal and it’s safe to say they won big. Right from the first season, Shaq appeared and helped Magic have 20 more wins than the previous season. In his second year playing in the NBA, he helped Orlando reach the Playoffs round for the first time in the club’s history.
The following season, the Orlando Magic reached the NBA Finals. However, a bit of bad luck prevented Shaquille O’Neal and his teammates from reaching the championship. However, the attraction that Shaq brought was extremely large when Magic’s ticket sales skyrocketed, which somehow helped him become more and more famous.
After leaving Orlando, Shaquille O’Neal continued to have great success in his career with a total of 4 championship trophies, 15 All-Star appearances, and was elected to 14 All-NBA teams before retiring. retired in 2011 as the 3rd highest paid player in history.
After retiring, Shaquille O’Neal was the third highest-earning player in NBA history, behind Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant.
While competing, O’Neal also pocketed tens of millions of dollars from advertising contracts with many brands such as Icy Hot, Burger King, Kraft Foods, Pepsi or Taco Bell. At almost any point during his 17 years of playing football, Shaq appeared on TV at least a few times a day in promotional videos.
Earning a lot of money, Shaq also spends money very boldly. In a report published in 2009, his spending was around $875,000 per month. This number includes about $110,000 for food, more than $24,000 to refuel expensive cars and nearly $7,000 just for… laundry.
Don’t forget that Shaquille O’Neal, besides playing basketball well and knowing how to save money, also studies very hard. He graduated from university with a major in economics before becoming a master of business administration.
