It is well known that Shaquille O’Neal has accumulated a lot of wealth since his days as a basketball player, which has been a difficult feat for many athletes once they retire from the NBA. However, the Hall of Famer has kept himself busy in broadcasting, advertising and even investments around the sporting world.
In a recent interview, the former Lakers star revealed a business secret that he learned from billionaire Jeff Bezos, which he has used to keep building his millionaire empire. As a matter of fact, back in March he took the Amazon founder’s advice and invested in Campus, which is an online community college startup.
Shaq talked to Fortune about his decision to make this most recent investment and explained how he thought that Campus could go on to “change people’s lives” for good, which is what he believes Bezos uses as his own inspiration when he looks where to place his money.
What Shaq learned from Jeff Bezos pic.twitter.com/FzMiOHj20A
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“I heard Jeff Bezos say, if you invest in things that’s going to change people’s lives, you’ll always get a great return on your investment,” O’Neal shared. “But this particular investment is not about great return because I feel that everyone should have access to world-class education.”
However, this wasn’t the first time that Jeff influences Shaq’s business decisions, as in 2022 the former athlete revealed that he desisted the idea of making a bid to buy the Phoenix Suns after reading that the Amazon owner was also interested in making a bid for the franchise.
The sport analyst admitted he didn’t want to compete with him or any other “heavy hitters” interested in the Arizona club. “Jeff said he wants it, and a couple of other heavy hitters said they want it. I’m not even going to put my name in the bucket on this one. I’m not,” he said months before Matt Ishbia finally bought the NBA team.
For Shaq, now it’s all about changing lives. “If something comes across my desk and I don’t believe in it, I don’t even look at it,” he said back in 2019. “Once I started doing that strategy, I think I probably quadrupled what I’m worth.”
The Hall of Famer recently sparked controversy when he named Rudy Gobert as the “Worst Player of all Time,” despite the French athlete’s undeniable success
It doesn’t matter that Rudy Gobert has been awarded the Defensive Player of the Year accolade in three different occasions and continues to be considered one of the Timberwolves main stars going into the 2024-25 campaign, he still is seen as underrated by many of his peers and even NBA Hall of Famers. This is why the French center did not appreciate that Shaquille O’Neal called him the worst player of all time.
This is why Rudy decided to speak his mind on social media. “It is sad to see someone that has accomplished as much as you did @SHAQ both in sport and business still be triggered by another man’s finances and accomplishments.”
“I get the entertainment part but unlike other folks, you don’t need that stuff to stay relevant,” Gobert wrote. While many have labelled his response as “firing back” at the Lakers legend, the truth is that his comments seemed calmed and collective, trying not to hurt Shaq, but still putting him in his place.
Many fans and experts have called Gobert overrated in the past, but no one has ever gone to the extent to compare him to some of the worst players to ever compete in the league. It all started when O’Neal recently went on a podcast show with his son, Myles O’Neal, for Complex.
