Shaquille O’Neal Net Worth: NBA Contracts & Businesses
An American former NBA player and 7-foot-1-inch (2.16 m) giant man, Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal aka Shaq Diesel aka Shaq, has a gigantic net worth of $400 million.
Aside from NBA, Shaq has also managed to gain notoriety from a range of other professions, including product endorsing, television hosting, and acting.
Similarly, he is also a well-known venture capitalist, having invested in a bunch of A-list companies.
He is considered one of the greatest centers in NBA history and the greatest players of all time.
He spent over 19 years of his career in the NBA and played for six teams. Similarly, Shaq is a four-time NBA champion.
Moreover, Shaq is not just a giant in physical appearance, but he has an even bigger career.
In addition to all his other professions, he has released four studio albums, with the first one entitled Shaq Diesel going platinum.
Quick Facts
| Birth Name | Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal |
| Net Worth | $400 million |
| Date of Birth | March 6, 1972 |
| Place of Birth | New Jersey, United States |
| Nick Name | Shaq, Shaq Diesel, Dr. Shaq, Hobo Master, Shaq Daddy, Shaq Fu, Superman, Big Shamrock |
| Religion | Muslim |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Afro- American |
| Education | University of Phoenix (MBA) |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Father | Lucille O’Neal |
| Mother | Joy Toney |
| Siblings | Jamal O’Neal, Ayesha O’Neal, Lateefah O’Neal |
| Age | 52 Years Old |
| Height | 7 ft. 1 in, 216 cm, 2.16 m |
| Weight | 325 lbs., 147 kg |
| Hair Style | Bald |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Distinctive Features | Bald, Tattoos on Body, Towering Height |
| Body Measurements | Chest – 57 in (145 cm)
Arms – 20 in (51 cm) Waist – 48 in (122 cm) |
| Shoe Size | 22 (US) |
| Debut Match | 1992 for Orlando Magic at the “Center” position |
| Debut Film | 1994 Blue Chips |
| Debut TV Show | 2001 For Your Love |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Relationship | Shaunie Nelson (m. 2002- div.2009)
Laticia Rolle (2014-present) |
| Children | 6 |
| Name of Children | Shareef O’Neal, Shaqir O’Neal, Me’arah O’Neal, Myles B. O’Neal, Taahirah O’Neal, Amirah O’Neal |
| Profession | NBA Player, Rapper, Actor, Film Producer, Television Producer, Entrepreneur |
| Jersey Number | 32 ( Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat And Orlando Magic), 33(Cleveland Cavaliers, LSU Tigerman’s), 34 (Los Angeles Lakers), and 36 (Boston Celtics) |
| Salary | $60 million |
| Active Since | 1992-Present |
| Endorsements | Pepsi, Reebok, Burger King, Radio Shack, Taco Bell |
| Build | Large |
| Teams | Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, LSU Tigerman, Los Angeles Lakers |
| Position | Center |
| Merchandise | Signed Jersey, Signed Basketball |
| Social Media | Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, Twitter |
| Last Update | April 2024 |
Shaquille O’Neal Net Worth & Income
One of the greatest basketball players of all time, Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth is a whopping $400 million as of April 2024.
The primary source of income for the living legend currently is his business ventures, endorsements, and acting.
Astonishingly Shaq earned a total of $292 million in NBA salary alone. Similarly, endorsements during his playing career brought more than $200 million.
Even though he has been retired for years now, he makes more money than what he earned in his 19 years of playing career.
Shaq bags about $60 million from various endeavors in a typical year. That’s enough money to make him one of the highest-earning celebrities in the world.
During his peak, he earned more than $29 million in salary per year, which is so much more than what some of the fortunate people make in a lifetime.
NBA Contracts
Shaq signed an entry-level contract with Orlando Magic in 1992 for four years.
As per the contract, he earned a yearly salary of $4.35 million, making a total of $17.4 million throughout his time with the team, which expired in 1995.
Similarly, after his time with Orlando Magic, he signed a contract with Los Angeles Lakers for seven years in 1996.
The contract was worth $120 million with an average yearly salary of $17,142,857.
He was at the peak of his career at the time. So Lakers were not on the verge of losing their star player.
They extended the contract with Shaq for three years following the expiration of the previous one.
The extension contract was worth $88.5 million with a yearly salary of $29.5 million.
Moreover, due to the rising tension between the fellow teammates, i.e., Shaq and Kobe, the Lakers traded Shaq to Miami Heat in 2005.
Shaq signed a contract with Heat in 2005 for five years, which was worth a staggering $101 million.
During his tenure with the Heat, Shaq bagged about $20.2 million in yearly salary.
The contract came to an end in 2009.
After that, Shaq inked a deal with the Boston Celtics for two years which was worth $27.51 million with a yearly salary of $1.37 million.
Sadly he retired from NBA in the year 2011.
However, between 2009 and 2010, he played for two more teams for a brief time in the NBA, namely Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers.
His time with Phoenix Suns earned him $41 million in total, and Cleveland Cavaliers earned him $20 million.
Apart from NBA, Shaq makes money from the multiple investments he’s made over the years.
Shaquille O’Neal Net Worth in Different Currencies
Let’s have a look into Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth in different currencies as of December 2021
| Currency | Net Worth |
| Euro | € 354.45 million |
| Pound Sterling | £ 302.42 million |
| Australian Dollar | A$ 557.89 million |
| Canadian Dollar | C$ 508.06 million |
| Indian Rupee | ₹ 30,248,200,000 |
| BitCoin | ฿ 8151.26 |
Shaquille O’Neal | Houses and Cars
Houses
Back in 1993, Shaquille O’Neal purchased land for $4 million and built his dream house, which served as his primary residence for many years.
However, in 2018 he listed the 35,000 square feet, 12 bedroom dream home for $28 million.
Nevertheless, with no interested buyers, he lowered the price to $22 million in 2019. Similarly, he cut the price to $19.5 million in September 2020, finally accepting $16.5 million in January 2021.
Similarly, O’Neal owns a 15-acre land in Atlanta, Georgia, which he purchased for $1.15 million in 2017.
Moreover, he splashed about $1.8 million in 2018 for a home in Bell Canyon only to list it in the market a year later for $2.5 million.
Cars
Given his net worth, Shaquille O’ Neal has the most interesting and extravagant collection of automobiles.
Interestingly, because of his gigantic physical structure, most of the cars have to be customized in order for him to fit.
He has a total of 17 cars in his garage that include everything from Ferrari to Cadillac and Rolls Royce to Mercedes Benz.
His most recent purchase is his Nikola Badger which is a hydrogen fuel cell electric hybrid pick-up truck. He purchased it in 2021. The price for this hydro pickup truck is $80,000.
Surprisingly, Shaq spent his first NBA salary of $1 million under 30 minutes buying his dream Mercedes-Benz.
Shaquille O’Neal |Lifestyle & Vacations
Lifestyle
Owing to Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth, he lives an extravagant lifestyle.
Though he has a continuous stream of money flowing to his bank account with his age, his body is slowly starting to give up on him.
So Shaq follows a disciplined diet plan. He does not eat outside at restaurants and is a self-proclaimed simple eater.
He has cut down sodas, bread, and his beloved sandwiches and also his favorite cheat meals from Waffle House and McDonald’s from his diet.
O’Neal eats six small meals a day because he workouts every day to stay in shape.
As for his personal life, Shaq was married to Shaunie Nelson. They have four children together. The couple got divorced in 2009. He also has a daughter from his previous relationship with Arnetta Yardbourgh.
He dated reality star Nicole Alexander in 2010, and after their breakup in 2012, he began dating Laticia Rolle.
Moreover, O’Neal holds a doctoral degree in education.
He first completed his master’s from the University of Phoenix and attended a course through the private Catholic institution, Barr University.
Vacations
NBA star Shaquille O’Neal has traveled to numerous places.
He is quite a fun-loving guy and goes on vacations with his family.
Though he does not go out much whenever he does, he tends to make the most out of it.
He was spotted on a yacht vacation in Spain in 2019.
Shaquille O’Neal | Charity
Most of the charitable deeds of Shaquille O’Neal are carried out through his own foundation, The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, which he founded in 2019.
The foundation basically helps youth by providing resources and opportunities.
Moreover, he also serves on the board for Communities in Schools.
Likewise, O’Neal has volunteered as the national spokesperson for the Boys and Girls Club of America.
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Shaquille O’Neal | Media, Endorsements & Investments
Media
According to IMDB, Shaquille O’Neal has 66 credits as an actor, which include movies, TV shows, guest appearances, documentaries, and video games.
He has appeared in several films, including Grown Ups (2013), Uncle Drew (2018), Hubie Halloween (2020), Steel (1997), Blue Chips (1994), and Blended (2014).
Likewise, he has appeared in several TV shows, including Highston, ShaqAttack, All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite, and Home Movie: The Princess Bride.
In addition to his screen time, Shaq has also released four rap albums to date.
Moreover, he has voiced several video game characters.
In 2019 he voiced a studio analyst in the NBA 2k20 video game.
Similarly, he voiced Shaq Fei Hung in the 2018 video game Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn.
Endorsements
As an instantly recognized face, numerous companies have sought him out as their official spokesperson.
Over the years, he has endorsed some of the high-profile companies, including Carnival Cruise Line, Reebok, and Pepsi.
Without getting into details, let’s just say half of his fortune consists of his income from endorsements.
Investments
This is where it gets interesting.
The former NBA star is also an avid investor. O’Neal has been active in the real estate and stock market since 1990.
He’s always been lucky with his investments and offers.
Except for that one time when he was asked to invest in Starbucks, he passed the offer thinking a black man would never drink a coffee in a coffee place.
Other than that, O’Neal has invested in a range of companies, including technology giant Google.
Reportedly he has invested in 50 different brands.
He joined the board of directors of Papa Johns, a pizza place, in March 2019. He earned $8.25 million in salary and stock over the next three years. Similarly, he invested around $840,000 of his own money to purchase 30% of the 9-unit franchise of the pizza place in Atlanta.
Moreover, Shaq paid $5 million in 2013 for a 1% stake in the NBA team Sacramento Kings.
Recently in 2021, he sold his stake in the NBA team for a whopping $11 million.
Furthermore, Shaq also owns a coffee company. He announced that he was a co-owner of FORTO coffee in 2019.
Shaquille O’Neal | Career
Shaq was picked first overall by Orlando Magic in the 1992 NBA Draft.
He was named the Rookie of the Year a year later and was also voted All-Star-starter.
He helped the team make their way to their first playoff series in his second season.
The very next year, they played against Houston Rockets in the finals but lost.
Similarly, Shaq parted ways with Magic and joined LA Lakers in 1996.
His transfer to the Lakers paired him with Kobe Bryant bringing the two biggest names on one team. After staying with the Lakers for eight seasons, he was traded to Miami Heat.
After that, he played for a couple of teams and finally retired in 2011.
As of April 2024, Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth is $400 million.
Unknown Facts About Shaquille O’Neal
- Shaq damaged around 12 backboards while dunking over the course of his career. Due to which NBA panicked and changed the rule.
- O’Neal does not drink alcohol and wine. In fact, he is sickened by the smell of alcoholic beverages.
- Shaq is a reserve officer and deputy of Miami Beach.
FAQs
Did Shaq grow up poor?
Yes, Shaquille O’Neal was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
Was Shaq a big kid?
Shaq was indeed a big kid. He was 6’6” when he was just 12 years old.
When did Shaq stop growing?
By the time he graduated his school in 1989, he was fully grown. He stood 7’1” tall.
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