"I got it in my safe": Shaquille O'Neal once kept $250,000 worth of coins in his safe because he didn't want the banks to think he was a robber
Shaquille O'Neal stands out as one of the most eccentric former NBA stars in history. However, beyond his on-court brilliance, he has proven to be an astute businessman, leaving an indelible mark on both the basketball court and the world of entrepreneurship. In his early playing days, Shaquille O'Neal made a shrewd investment in a coin-operated car wash, a venture that was evidently raking in a substantial amount of money.
Interestingly, Shaquille O'Neal had an amusing quirk when it came to handling the profits. Unaware that he could deposit large quantities of quarters and other coins in the bank, he took a cautious approach by storing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a safe at his home. He wanted to avoid any suspicion of tampering with vending machines or other such activities.
"I had them in the house," O'Neal said. "I would get the coins and the quarters, and I would just take them home, and I just put them in my safe. But so much money was coming in, and I didn't think you can take quarters and dimes to the bank like that. Like, I didn't want to want them to think I was breaking in the vending machine."
"So I would just take them and just take them, dump them in plastic bags and pillowcases and just put them in the house. And he [O'Neal's financial advisor] was like, with 200,000, I was like, I think I got it in my safe. What? I got a whole bunch of quarters in my safe."
Shaquille O'Neal has come a long way since his coin-operated car wash, as he now owns stakes in multiple major companies, along with a string of fast-food restaurants and a lucrative role with TNT for their pre and post-game coverage.
Shaquille O'Neal knew his career would end due to injury
During an interview on "In-depth with Graham Besinger," O'Neal discussed his upbringing and how his parents would stress the importance of education. Shaquille O'Neal also explained how his parents made him understand that a large portion of athletes end their careers due to injury.
As such, when Shaquille O'Neal was dealing with an Achilles Tendon injury during the final year of his career, which was with the Boston Celtics, he knew it was time to call it quits.
"My mother and father did a very good job of keeping me educated, keeping me understanding that 80% of athletes when they are done playing, have nothing. So you know, they stress education ... They forced me to go back to school, get my bachelor's, get my master's.
"...My mother always used to say, 'You had a good game, but what if you twist your knee and you can't play anymore? What you're gonna do? What if you blow your Achilles? What if?'
"And the ironic thing was I knew that my career was end with a career-ending injury, I knew it."
During his playing career, Shaquille O'Neal was the most dominant force the NBA had ever seen - and is arguably still the most dominant force in league history. Now, though, O'Neal is a dominant force in the world of business as he continues to put his education to good use.