How much is Shaquille O'Neal worth in October 2022? Taking a look at the business empire of the 4x NBA champion
NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal made a ton of money during his highly successful 19-year NBA career. O’Neal retired from the NBA with a total of $292 million in career earnings, more than enough to live off of. On top of that, it is also estimated that he earned an additional $200 million-plus in endorsements throughout his career.
However, unlike most professional athletes, O’Neal hasn’t used his retirement to relax and enjoy his earnings. O’Neal has instead invested his time and money to become a highly successful businessman.
As of October 2022, Shaquille O’Neal now has an estimated net worth of $400 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. His investments reportedly net him an additional $60 million per year.
Update: As of November 2023, O'Neal's net worth is still estimated to be around $400 million
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Shaquille O’Neal’s most prominent investments
Shaquille O’Neal’s investment portfolio is extremely broad and nearly impossible to list in full. On an episode of his reality TV show “Shaq Life,” O’Neal once mentioned that he owns 50 different brands. For many of these brands, O’Neal owns a large number of franchises as well.
For example, NBC Sports reported that “O’Neal is the joint owner of 155 Five Guys Burgers restaurants, 17 Auntie Annie's Pretzels restaurants, 150 car washes, 40 24-hour fitness centers, a shopping center, a movie theater, and several Las Vegas nightclubs.”
The outlet added that O’Neal has endorsed “A sleep apnea mask, a sugar substitute, Soupman, Zales, Muscle Milk, Shaq Fu Punch, Chris Christie, Dunkman shoes, Dove, Nintendo, Macy's, JC Penney, Comcast, Monster speakers, LiNing shoes, NBA 2k, Gold Bond, a vodka brand, Buick, Taco Bell, Nestle Crunch, Icy Hot, Pepsi, Wheaties, Oreos and Burger King.”
During an appearance on the “Earn Your Leisure” podcast, O’Neal also remarked on his vast array of investments.
"I don't like to seem like I'm bragging, but I'm going to ask you a question. Who owns Marilyn Monroe? Who owns Elvis Presley? Who owns Forever 21? Who owns JCPenney? Me!" O’Neal said.
O'Neal has also been on the board of directors for Papa John's since 2019. He recently signed a new three-year contract with the franchise. According to Franchise Times, the deal is worth more than $11 million in cash and stocks.
On top of all of this, Shaquille O’Neal even has a restaurant chain named “Big Chicken.” O’Neal founded the chain in 2018 through a partnership with JRS Hospitality. The restaurant’s menu is based on O’Neal’s favorite childhood home-cooked meals. There are now over 200 Big Chicken locations across the US with more in development.
But despite all the different companies and franchises that O’Neal owns, he still says his best investment was in Google early on in his career.
O’Neal spoke about this in the book “A-List Angels: How a Band of Actors, Artists, and Athletes Hacked Silicon Valley" by Zack O'Malley Greenburg.
O'Neal told Greenburg about his investment strategy, which was to invest in things that make the world a better place. This is what led O’Neal to invest an undisclosed amount in Google in the early 2000s.
"It was presented to me, I knew it was gonna hit. And I said, 'Wow, I'll try it.' My only regret is that I wish I would have bought more," O’Neal said.
Business Insider added that O’Neal has since continued investing in technology companies including Apple and Ring.
Outside of his business investments, O’Neal is still a host on the NBA on TNT’s celebrated “Inside the NBA” show. O’Neal hosts his own podcast as well called “The Big Podcast with Shaq.” He also frequently makes guest appearances on other podcasts and shows. Finally, O’Neal is even known to DJ from time to time under the name “DJ Diesel."
Simply put there aren’t many people busier than Shaquille O’Neal.
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