$812,000 NIL-valued Shaqir O'Neal takes inspiration from legends Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant after Texas Southern beats MVS in 93-61 matchup
Forward Shaqir O'Neal had three points and three rebounds in Texas Southern's 93-61 blowout win over the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils on Monday.
Afterward, the son of Shaquille O'Neal showed where he got his inspiration from on his Instagram stories by posting pictures of NBA legends Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.
The outspoken Shaqir is no stranger to taking inspiration from Kobe Bryant after he once shared a picture of the late LA Lakers legend when he made an appearance on the television show "Moesha" on his Instagram page.
The $812,000 NIL-valued sophomore averages 2.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.4 assists for Texas Southern (5-11, 3-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference).
The Shaqir O'Neal NIL empire
Shaqir O'Neal has an NIL valuation of $812,000 which ranks him No. 6 among college basketball players and No. 33 overall in the NIL 100 list.
During an interview with Forbes, he revealed the mindset that he brings to doing NIL deals in the modern era.
"Both my mom and my dad are innovators and entrepreneurs," O'Neal said. "They’ve stressed the importance of making the right business decisions at the right time. We’re in a new era of sports where college athletes can get paid endorsements earlier, so I need to think of how to have the right business mindset at an earlier age now."
Last year, he was involved in a collaborative effort with his elder brother, Shareef O'Neal, who plays for the G League Ignite. The two collaborated on a BoohooMAN collection that mixed fashion and grunge to create an authentic collection.
Shane Chin, the lead designer on the O'Neal's collection explained the motivation behind the fashion look.
“This year, the team wanted to focus on the U.S. market and what was trending over there for us, but we also wanted to make sure it still aligned with the brothers’ personal aesthetic,” Chin said. “We introduced key new shapes such as boxy and long line silhouettes which can be layered up for transitional looks.
"We’re excited to work with both of the O’Neal brothers and believe this collection is a versatile range that will speak to the boohooMAN customer.”
O'Neal's most recent NIL deal is a collaboration with AZVA Studios that involved him modeling the Rest Stop Hoodie for another feather in his cap.