Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most popular basketball players ever to grace the court. Even years after his retirement, he is still the topic of conversations amongst basketball lovers everywhere, and it’s not hard to see why. During his Legendary run, he was a Lakers legend winning four championships and many other personal accolades in his run.
His career outside the court has been very successful, making him one of the wealthiest retired basketball players because of his ownership of many businesses. He works as a DJ using the moniker ‘DJ Diesel’, and he works as a presenter for TNT. But how many businesses does Shaq own?
Shaquille O’Neal has owned, invested in, endorsed, or partnered with a diverse list of businesses. His investments and partnerships have included brands like Ring, Vitaminwater and Lyft. He has also been linked with car washes, 24-hour fitness centres, Big Chicken, a shopping centre, a movie theatre, and restaurant franchises. He is also part owner of several medium to large-sized commercial companies.
Check out this article below for a full breakdown of Shaq’s businesses, his net worth and how much he made in his NBA career.
What Does Shaq Own: Businesses, Investments and Endorsements Linked to the NBA Legend
After his basketball career, Shaq bagged several endorsement deals from different brands and companies. He has also explained on talk shows that owning brands is his main business, and he has accumulated quite a number over the years. Check out the businesses, investments and endorsements connected to Shaquille O’Neal below:
Papa Johns
The Papa John’s franchise is on the list of one of Shaq’s many investments. In 2019, he joined the brand as an investor, franchisee and board member. Under the original endorsement agreement, Papa John’s disclosed that Shaq would receive about $8.25 million over three years, largely for the right to use his voice, name, pseudonym and photographs in their advertisement campaigns. What is notable about this deal is that Shaq only requested half of the amount in cash.
After that, he joined the company as an investor and board member, investing about $840,000 in 9 restaurants across Atlanta. When they published the news of their deal with Shaq, their network shares increased by about 5%.
Five Guys
You probably already knew that Shaq previously owned Five Guys franchises, as they’re one of the most publicized investments he has entered. But did you know that he once owned 155 locations? Just by the number of locations he owned, Shaq owned more than 10% of the company’s entire franchises, which generated a lot of profit for him. In a talk with CNBC, Shaq has said that the burger business has been good to him and not just the perks of having access to free food.
However, Shaq has said he sold his stake in the Five Guys restaurants.
Auntie Anne’s
It seems like Shaq has a knack for investing in many fast-food franchises. Another notable franchise Shaq made investments in is Auntie Anne’s. He owns at least 17 of their stands across America. You will find 8 of these in Buffalo, NY and nine located across areas in Michigan.
Krispy Kreme
Shaq has described himself as the ultimate Krispy Kreme fan, and TMZ previously reported that he planned to own 100 Krispy Kreme outlets. He owns the historic Krispy Kreme shop on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, which reopened in 2023 after being rebuilt following a 2021 fire.
Big Chicken
Apart from investing or having part ownership in other restaurant chains, Shaq also has a restaurant of his own – Big Chicken. Shaq founded this restaurant in 2018 with a team of partners – JRS Hospitality and Authentic Brands Group.
Since then, Big Chicken has expanded well beyond its original locations, with restaurants and franchise agreements across multiple U.S. markets, including Texas. The brand continues to promote new openings through its official locations and franchising pages.
Fitness Centers
We don’t have the full names of all Shaq’s fitness centres, but we know there are up to 40 24-hour fitness locations. These gyms aren’t your run-of-the-mill setup, as Shaq put his personal touch into all of the gyms to give them a unique look.
CityPlex12
Shaq has also made a foray into the movie industry. He bought a CityPlex12 movie theatre in his hometown – Newark, NJ, in 2012. He’s made significant renovations to the building since he purchased it, and business has been exciting. Even though this might have been a sentimental investment, it has paid off.
Car Washes
Car washes are probably the establishment where Shaq has the most locations, and it is one of the first businesses he made investments in. He owns about 150 car washes across America.
Google Stocks
Shaq has told how he invested in Google on numerous occasions. When Shaq first got to LA in the late 90s, he checked into the Four-Season Hotel. He was babysitting a child in the lobby that was waiting for his dad to finish a business meeting.
After the meeting, the man spoke to him about Google and urged him to invest. Google went public in 2004 at $85/share, and Alphabet has since completed stock splits that changed the per-share price investors see today. Even though it is unclear how many shares Shaq initially bought, he did say he made a sizable return. Like everyone who had Google stocks, Shaq says his only regret was not buying more of the stocks.
Sacramento Kings
Even though he rarely talked about it, Shaq previously owned a stake in the Sacramento Kings. He held a minority stake for several years, and it is unknown to what extent or the value of the stake. However, estimates placed his stake in the Sacramento Kings as about 2-4%. We assume he didn’t talk about his stake in the Sacramento Kings because of his job as an NBA TV analyst.
Note: On Jan 13, 2022, Shaquille O’Neal announced on social media that he had officially sold his interest in Sacramento Kings.
Real Estate
Many athletes have found investing in real estate profitable, and Shaq is no exception. He has stakes in residential and commercial properties all over. In 2006, the former basketball star created The O’Neal Group, which has a fantastic portfolio. The first project he invested in through the O’Neal Group was The Met Miami. This is a residential high-rise building with over 1,000 units and is about 866 feet tall.
Authentic Brands
Shaq has held shares in Authentic Brand Group (ABG) since 2015 in a deal where he sold his name rights to the company so they could use it in advertisements and other promotional material. He is the second-largest individual shareholder in Authentic Brands Group. You might know ABG from brands like Barneys New York, Forever 21, JCPenney, Reebok, etc.
Reebok
Reebok has partnered with Shaq for many years, and he was one of the earliest ambassadors of the brand. Authentic Brands Group completed its acquisition of Reebok in 2022, connecting the brand even more closely with Shaq through his ABG relationship.
Shaq’s partnership with Reebok goes as far back as 1992 when he signed a multi-year deal worth approximately $15 million. Through this partnership, he launched the wildly popular Reebok Shaq Attaq. In 2023, Reebok named Shaq president of Reebok Basketball as part of the brand’s return to basketball.
Buick
One of Shaq’s most hilarious endorsements is his collaboration with Buick, which aired in 2012 on national TV. This relationship was perhaps due to his role as a genie in the film Kazaam which helped him get a couple of endorsements, including this one for Buick.
The commercial was supposed to show that the Buick LaCrosse had a spacious interior compared to other hybrids. However, it was apparent that Shaq couldn’t fit inside the vehicle and the footage of him in it was hilarious. His legs looked seriously clamped, and it was a claustrophobic position.
Sneakers
Walmart produces shoes for Shaq that have sold over 120 million pairs. His shoe brand started in the 90s, and they weren’t received as favourably as expected despite how big Shaquille O’Neal was. Shaq has famously said it was an interaction with a fan that pushed him to create his shoe brand.
A mother confronted him and said it was a shame that NBA players only endorsed sneakers that were $150 and higher. So, Shaq took this to heart and decided to make a change asking his team to make the shoes affordable without losing any comfort or style.
A significant part of his shoes was the marketing which Shaq handled himself. At intervals, Shaq uncovered a couple of funny accessories for the public’s and celebrities’ amusement, which gradually built the brand’s popularity.
Forest Road Acquisition
Some of his most recent investments include Forest Road Acquisition and the Beachbody, Myx Fitness and Openfit merger. The combined company had a value of about $3 billion when the merger was announced, and Beachbody later changed its corporate name to BODi. Shaq was listed as a strategic advisor; public materials do not make clear how much equity, if any, he retained.
Majority
Shaq is a co-founder of an ad agency with a focus on Diversity. The CEO is Omid Farhang, the former chief creative of Momentum Worldwide. Shaq is taking an active role in the company with the following quote released to the public: “Most agencies still struggle to meet a 25% diversity target; we want to flip that diversity ratio to turn the minority into the majority.” This business aligns with his roots of high-tech fitness kits and promoting Diversity.
How Much Did Shaq Make in His NBA Career?
Shaq had a successful run in the NBA, and he was one of the most successful players of his time. When Shaq retired from the NBA, he had made over $292 million across six teams, if you’re counting his salary from basketball. Investments and several endorsement deals brought in an extra $220 million at the end of his NBA career.
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Shaq’s Net Worth
After the numerous great investments we have listed above, Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth is commonly estimated in the hundreds of millions, with many current public estimates placing it around $500 million. Finance estimates place his yearly earnings as around $60 million, which has consistently increased. We fully expect that his net worth will increase in the coming years as Shaq hasn’t stopped making investments.
Related Read: What Does Michael Jordan Own?
Conclusion
As you can see above, Shaq owns many businesses and investments across several fields and industries, and it doesn’t seem like he plans to slow down anytime soon.
Shaq has established himself as a business mogul and has carefully invested the money he spent from his days on the court. He also has a show called Shaq Life, a reality TV show narrated by Samuel L. Jackson that focuses on his life.