Shaquille O’Neal net worth
Split: 27
What is Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth?
Shaquille O’Neal is a retired American basketball player, entrepreneur, TV presenter and product spokesperson. At the time of writing, Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth is $400 million. In his NBA career, Shaq alone earned a salary of $292 million. During the same period, he earned more than $200 million in revenue from endorsements. Although he has retired for many years, until today, Shaq still earns about 60 million U.S. dollars each year from endorsements and various business activities.
early life
Shaquille O’Neal was born on March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey, to Lucille O’Neal and Joe Tony to his parents. When O’Neill was a baby, his father became addicted to drugs and went to jail for possession of drugs. His parents were unmarried all his life, and his father left shortly after Shaq was released from prison. O’Neill has been estranged from his father for decades. At the age of two, his mother married Philip Harrison, a U.S. Army Sergeant. O’Neill grew up as a member of the Boys and Girls Club of America, which he believes helped him stay away from the streets. The family moved from Newark to Germany and Texas. When he was still in high school, Shaq began to receive attention for his basketball talent. In his senior year, he led San Antonio’s Robert G. Kerr High School to a state championship. O’Neal went on to Louisiana State University, where he became the two-time SEC Player of the Year and two-time National Player of the Year. He also won Adolph Rupp’s NCAA Basketball Player of the Year trophy in 1991.
NBA superstars
O’Neal became the Orlando Magic’s No. 1 overall pick in 1992. A year later, he was named Rookie of the Year and was selected as the starter of the All-Star that has never been achieved since Michael Jordan. In his second season, O’Neal helped the Magic enter their first playoff series. The following year, they reached the finals, but lost to the Houston Rockets.
O’Neal was plagued by injuries for most of the 1995-96 season, although the Orlando Magic still ended the regular season with a record of victory. In the playoffs that year, O’Neal and the Magic won the first two rounds, but were ultimately defeated by Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.
In 1996, O’Neal became a member of the Atlanta Men’s Olympic Basketball Team. That team continues to win Olympic gold medals. It was during the Olympics that O’Neal announced his plan to join the Los Angeles Lakers because of increased tensions between his coach, teammates and the local Oran Multimedia. The Lakers offered O’Neal a seven-year, $121 million contract.
This move paired O’Neal with the teenage Kobe Bryant and brought the two biggest names in the game together in one team. However, although his first few years with the Lakers were promising, they failed to win the championship. O’Neal has been struggling with injuries and personnel changes until the change in leadership reversed the situation.
The arrival of former Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson in the 1999-00 season put the Lakers on a path that will make them the dominant force for the next few years. Jackson challenged O’Neal and led him to strengthen his defense. Shaquille and the Lakers won the NBA championship that year and will win consecutive championships for the next two years.
O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. The following year, O’Neal signed a five-year, $100 million contract with the team. Although he could have asked for more money, he said it was another championship he was pursuing. The team got a chance in the second year. The Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks and won the team’s first championship and O’Neal’s fourth championship.
Since 2008, O’Neal’s long-term contract with the team has ended. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns that year, where he failed to make the playoffs for the first time since his rookie season. At the end of his first season with the team, he was traded to free up the budget. There will be more one year ahead, including the Cleveland Cavaliers (with LeBron James) and his final season with the Boston Celtics.
Player profile
Shaq is 7 feet 1 inch tall and has an amazing shoe size of 23. He is famous mainly because of his size, which gives him a clear advantage over his opponents. In his early NBA career, Shaq’s overwhelmingly powerful dunks broke the net’s steel backboard support twice. This prompted the league to increase the strength and stability of rebounding since then. O’Neill is famous for his “falling” moves, which he nicknamed the Black Tornado.
Shaquille O’Neal’s salary
What is Shaquille O’Neal’s highest salary? 27 million USD
Annual salary and team:
- 1992-93 Orlando Magic USD 3,000,000
- 1993-94 Orlando Magic $3,900,000
- 1994-95 Orlando Magic $4,800,000
- 1995-96 Orlando Magic USD 5,700,000
- 1996-97 Los Angeles Lakers $10,714,000
- 1997-98 Los Angeles Lakers $12,857,143
- 1998-99 Los Angeles Lakers $15,000,000
- 1999-00 Los Angeles Lakers $17,142,858
- 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers $19,285,715
- 2001-02 Los Angeles Lakers $21,428,572
- 2002-03 Los Angeles Lakers $23,571,429
- 2003-04 Los Angeles Lakers $24,749,999
- 2004-05 Miami Heat $27,696,430
- 2005-06 Miami Heat $20,000,000
- 2006-07 Miami Heat $20,000,000
- 2007-08 Phoenix Suns $20,000,000
- 2008-09 Phoenix Suns $21,000,000
- 2009-10 Cleveland Cavaliers $20,000,000
- 2010-11 Boston Celtics $1,352,181
Total NBA career income = $292,198,327
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Other media and business risks
In the early 1990s, Shaq quickly became a superstar, stepping into the rap and film industries, appearing in films such as “Blue Chip” and “Kazam”. He has also played guest roles in many other movies and TV shows, including “Suppress Passion” and “The Parker Family.” His first rap album “Shaq Diesel” was released in 1993 and obtained platinum certification. He continues to DJ and make music under the name DIESEL. Shaq has also appeared in many video games throughout his career.
In addition, O’Neill has appeared in multiple reality show series and hosted his own podcast. Other media roles include frequently serving as a commentator in NBA games and even serving for a while in professional wrestling.
Since the 1990s, O’Neill has been active in the stock market and real estate. He also showed interest in the business world. On March 22, 2019, it was announced that he would join the Papa John’s board of directors. With this job, Shaq will receive $8.25 million in salary and stocks within three years. He also used his own funds to invest $840,000 to purchase 30% of the franchise rights for 9 units of Papa Johns in Atlanta.
In 2013, Shaq acquired a 1% stake in the NBA Sacramento Kings for $5 million. In August 2021, Shaq sold his stake in the team so that he could become the main spokesperson for an online gambling company called WynnBET. He sold his stake in the Kings for $11 million.
endorsement
Few athletes fully accept endorsements like Shaquille O’Neal. As a celebrity who can be recognized at a glance, many companies look for him as a spokesperson. Some of his well-known endorsements include Pepsi, Carnival Cruise Line and Reebok. The full list of Shaq’s endorsement deals and commercial appearances is too long to be listed.
Academic Achievements
One of Shaquille O’Neal’s other great accomplishments was his doctorate in education. After obtaining a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix, O’Neill started the course through the private Catholic institution Barry University. Over the years, the course has been mainly completed online, reflecting O’Neill’s passion for education and his interest in continuing to challenge himself.
personal life
Shaq married Shaunie Nelson in December 2002. They have four children in total: Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir and Me’arah. Shaq also has a daughter, Taahirah, who was previously related to Arnetta Yardbourgh. In September 2007, O’Neill filed for divorce with Shaunie. They changed their minds and withdrew the divorce, but in November 2009, Shaunie filed for divorce. She cited irreconcilable differences. O’Neill dated reality star Nicole Alexander from 2010 to 2012. Shaq has been dating model Laticia Rolle since 2014.
When Hall of Fame center George Mikan died in June 2005, O’Neal paid for all his funeral expenses.
real estate
In recent years, Shaq’s main residence has been a huge 12-bedroom mansion in Orlando. The main house covers an area of 35,000 square feet, with a 6,000 square feet indoor basketball court, 17 garages and a 10-foot privacy wall. Shaq bought the land as his home in 1993 for 4 million U.S. dollars and began to custom-build the mansion of his dreams.
He listed the house for the first time in May 2018 for $28 million. He lowered the price to $22 million in January 2019. It is located in a gated community called Isleworth Golf and Country Club.
In September 2020, Shaq reduced the asking price of the property to $19.5 million. He finally accepted $16.5 million in January 2021. View the video tour:
Outside of Florida, Shaq owns a 15-acre plot of land in suburban Atlanta, which he bought in 2017 for $1.15 million.
In 2018, he spent $1.8 million to purchase a house in a gated community called Bell Canyon in the suburbs of Los Angeles. He put the house on the market for $2.5 million at the end of 2019.
