These days it’s not enough to just be talented in one area. To stay in the game of fame and fortune for a long time, you must be able to juggle multiple ventures.
Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal has seemingly mastered this feat. Sure, he’s had a legendary career inside the court but he managed to stay relevant and keep million-dollar paychecks until today because of what he did beyond the sport.
Let’s take a look at his inspiring journey from pro-athlete to pro-investor and see what we can learn from his success.
Wise Advice
Back in the day, O’Neal’s relationship with money was something straight out of a typical NBA player story. He earned good money and he spent it lavishly buying himself and his family members expensive gifts like cars.
At one point, the now-48-year-old was splurging $1 million in just an hour. One piece of advice helped him change his ways for the better though.
The former Los Angeles Lakers center shared that he once met a man who showed him how smart, wealthy people save and invest their money. From then on, he began setting aside 75% of his earnings for investments and living on the remaining 25% encouraging others to do the same.
Shaq the Investor
Speaking of investments, O’Neal has notably gone about striking various deals that incorporated him being both an investor and endorser for certain brands. A wise move to capitalize on his celebrity, right?
A good example of this technique in action is his deal with the popular pizza restaurant franchise Papa John’s. Not only is he being paid $4.1 million to endorse the brand, but he also reportedly scored 90,000 shares in the company.
Aside from his food stakes, O’Neal has also ventured into other sectors. He owns over 150 car washes across the United States.
O’Neal has stakes in tech companies like Google as well. He was actually an early investor in the tech giant having bought shares in it during the ’90s.
Real Estate Ventures
Of course, like his fellow celebrities, the athlete-turned-sports-analyst is investing heavily in real estate. But Shaq is not just about buying and selling multi-million-dollar houses.
Through the O’Neal Group, he has explored the world of commercial real estate in development. His company has worked with the likes of MDM Development to build a complex called Met Miami in Florida.
This complex features a Marriott hotel, numerous office workspaces, and thousands of units.
And it looks like O’Neal’s investments have been paying off for him. As of the latest estimates, he has a $400 million fortune.