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Shaq Net Worth 2022 | Biography, Income, Career, Cars

-Shaq Net Worth-

There’s no doubt about it, Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most famous and easily recognizable basketball players in the world. In this article, we’ll be showing you all you need to know about shaq net worth and every other useful information.

Shaq Net Worth

Who Is Shaquille O’Neal?

On March 6, 1972, Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal was born. The 7-foot-1-inch center started playing basketball in 1992 and retired in 2011. During this time, he won four NBA championships.

Shaq left Louisiana State University after three years to play in the NBA but later returned to finish his undergraduate degree.

 In 2005, he received his MBA from the University of Phoenix, and in 2012, he received his educational doctorate from Barry University.

Shaq has pursued many different paths to success over the years. These include a rap career, film and television appearances, and many other investments.

Shaq’s Early Life

Shaq's Early Life

Shaquille O’Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey on March 6, 1972. His mother’s name was Lucille O’Neal, and his father’s name was Joe Toney. Shaq’s father struggled with drug addiction and went to prison when he was a child.

He gave up parental rights to Shaq after being released from prison. Phil Harrison, Shaq’s stepfather, stepped in and helped the young boy stay out of trouble while also nurturing his talents.

Shaq was born into a tall family. His biological father was 6’1 and his mother was 6’2. As a result, by the age of thirteen, the young boy had grown to a staggering height of 6’6!

During this time, Newark’s neighboring streets were rife with crime and bad influences.

His NBA Carrer

They widely regarded Shaq as one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He was also one of the biggest and most powerful players, standing 7 feet 1 inch tall and weighing 325 pounds.

Shaq spent his career with six different teams: the Orlando Magic, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Miami Heat, the Phoenix Suns, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Boston Celtics.

His NBA career earnings total a whopping $292,198,327, which equates to $412,027,502 in today’s dollars.

1. Orlando Magic (1992–1996)

During the 1992 NBA draft, the Orlando Magic selected O’Neal first overall. He played between 1992 and 1996.

He was named ‘Player of the Week’ within the first week of his debut, making him the first player ever to receive the honor in such a short period.

During his first season of play, he averaged 23.4 points on 56.2 percent shooting with 13.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. His insane skills and overall performance earned him the ‘NBA Rookie of the Year award in 1993.

2. Los Angeles Lakers (1996–2004)

The Los Angeles Lakers signed O’Neal to a three-year contract worth $88.5 million in 1996. From 1996 to 2004, he was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.

O’Neal was a member of the team that won three consecutive championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002, as well as appearing in the 2004 NBA Finals.

3. Miami Heat (2004–2008)

O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004 after several disagreements with his teammate Kobe Bryant. He played for the Heat from 2004 to 2008. Shaq won his fourth NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006.

They widely regarded Shaq as the league’s best center and player during his time with the Miami Heat. He was on the verge of losing the 2004–05 NBA MVP Award.

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4. Phoenix Suns (2008–2009)

The Phoenix Suns gained O’Neal from the Miami Heat in February 2008. Shaq played for the Phoenix Suns for the third time. They lost their first game against his previous team, the Los Angeles Lakers, in the same month.

He quickly accepted responsibility for his team’s loss, claiming that he was out of sync with his teammates. He did, however, prefer playing for the Suns over the Heat.

In the 2009 All-Star Game, he was named co-MVP alongside former teammate Kobe Bryant.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers (2009–2010)

On June 25, 2009, O’Neal left the Phoenix Suns to join the Cleveland Cavaliers. During the 2009–2010 season, he was a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

O’Neal’s career was at an all-time low thanks to injuries that forced him to take on smaller roles.

6. Boston Celtics (2010–2011)

On August 4, 2010, the Boston Celtics signed O’Neal to a two-year contract for $2.8 million (2010–2011).  Interestingly, Shaquille was never a fan of the Celtics as a kid.

After a career spanning nineteen years, he announced his retirement on Twitter with a video and the hashtag #ShaqRetires.

What Is Shaq’s Net Worth?

Shaq Net Worth

Shaquille O’Neal has a net worth of $400 million and earns $60 million per year from his various endorsements.

During his professional career, Shaq earned $292 million in salary from the NBA and an additional $200 million in endorsements.

Shaq began a brief rapping career early in his basketball career. Despite not rapping for long, he could make friends with some of the game’s biggest rappers, including Method Man, Jay-Z, and Notorious B.I.G.

Shaq The Basketball Superstar

Shaq joined the Orlando Magic in 1992, after being drafted because of his massive size and aggressive playing style. The team knew they could rely on O’Neal to surprise and even frighten the opposing team.

He earned $3,000,000 in his first year with the team. The following season, he received a $900,000 raise, which he received each year he played for Orlando.

The Orlando Magic claimed to have strong family values, but this was not the case.

O’Neal was late for practice after his grandmother died because his family was in mourning. He arrived for practice soon after, but the management team ripped him apart, calling him juvenile and unreliable.

More Information on Shaq The Basketball Superstar

Shaq moved from the Orlando Magic to the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996, where he stayed the longest. O’Neal was paid $10,714,000 his first year on the team and saw his pay rise significantly each year he played.

They paid Shaq $24,749,999 in his final year with the Lakers. Shaq played for the Lakers for eight years before joining the Miami Heat. His first year with Miami earned him the most money of his career, a whopping $27,696,430.

Shaq was paid approximately $20,000,000 over the next two years with the Miami Heat. Shaq played for the Phoenix Suns from 2007 to 2009, earning $20,000,000 the first year and $21,000,000 the second.

His Short-Lived Rapping Career

Shaq began writing rap music in his spare time in 1993 and released his first album the following year. Shaq Diesel was Shaq’s first album, and it sold over one million copies, making Shaq’s debut album an instant success.

Shaq’s rapping on the album isn’t bad if a little sillier than on most other rap albums. The novelty of owning a Shaquille O’Neal rap album, as well as the comically cheesy music videos, drove many sales.

Shaq Fu: Da Return, his second album, was released in 1994 and featured a slew of his favorite rappers of the time. Method Man, Redman, and RZA all appear on his album.

Shaq Working With Notorious B.I.G

O’Neal was extremely nervous about working with Notorious B.I.G. while preparing to work with the living legend. However, the two ended up becoming friends, and Notorious B.I.G. collaborated with Shaq even more on his album.

When Notorious B.I.G. was assassinated at a Los Angeles party, his mother awakened Shaq with the news of his friend’s death. O’Neal felt a great deal of guilt because he was supposed to go to the party, but fell asleep.

Shaq says he prefers to remember the good times he had with his friend rather than the regret he felt. He’s glad that they got to know each other and create music together.

Shaq in Films

Shaq Net Worth

Unlike Shaq’s music, the type of movies and his acting took time to improve. Even when his acting was at its worst, his films were still entertaining because his early acting was comically cartoonish.

Shaq’s first film role was in Blue Chips in 1994. O’Neal portrayed Neon, an unmotivated basketball player. The cast of the film includes Nick Nolte, Mary McDonnell, Ed O’Neill, and Alfre Woodard.

Only two years later, Shaq was cast in the film Kazaam as the magical genie Kazaam.

Movies Shaq Had Appeared in

Those who have wondered what it would be like to see Shaq as a superhero will no longer have to wonder after watching 1997’s Steel.

Steel, like Kazaam, isn’t the best movie, but it’s made better by Shaq in an outrageous costume and situation for a basketball star.

In Nickelodeon’s Good Burger, O’Neal played himself. The film has become a cult classic, and the addition of O’Neal elevates it even further. Shaq appeared in Carrot Top’s film, Chairman of the Board, the following year.

Shaq in The Fast Food Business

Fast food investments have been one of O’Neal’s most significant financial moves. Shaq’s fast-food empire is currently worth approximately $127 million and comprises hundreds of restaurants.

Shaq owns 17 Auntie Anne’s restaurants, eight of which are in Buffalo, New York, and nine of which are somewhere in Michigan.

A single Auntie Anne’s can cost up to $385,100 to open. Shaq could easily have spent $6,546,700 on all of his Auntie Anne’s with 17 locations.

More Information on Shaq In The Fast Food Business

Shaq is a huge Krispy Kreme fan, and with their wide variety of fresh donuts, it’s hard to blame him for wanting to own 100 Krispy Kreme locations.

In Atlanta, he currently owns only one Krispy Kreme. This store has cost him $2,750,000 due to its central location, but that hasn’t stopped him from wanting to open more donut shops.

Shaq has also purchased nine Papa John’s locations, become a brand ambassador, and joined the company’s Board of Directors in 2019. These quick-service pizzerias can cost up to $844,420 to open.

Going From Physical Sports To eSports

Going From Physical Sports To eSports

They introduced Shaq to the insanely lucrative world of esports in 2016 when his children asked him if he could take them to a League of Legends world championship.

The crowd’s reaction, which was even more fervent than watching from the sidelines of a basketball court, astounded the former athlete.

Shaq was initially perplexed by what was going on and had to seek clarification from his children. The O’Neal children had gotten their father excited about the event after explaining what e-sports were.

Law Enforcement

O’Neal’s forays into law enforcement have also made headlines. In 2005, he was named an honorary U.S. Deputy Marshal, and in 2016, he was sworn in as a Clayton County, Georgia, sheriff’s deputy.

O’Neal joined the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida as an auxiliary deputy in 2019.

Shaq in Other Business

Shaq, like any wise business person, knew that he needed to do his homework before diving headfirst into a new industry.

What Shaq found most surprising about e-sports competitors was their brief career. After three or four years, they often burn players out and switch to a different game or abandon competitive gaming entirely.

While some parents may be concerned about the increased popularity of gaming as a hobby, Shaq prefers how much safer it is to play e-sports than it is to do the things he used to do when he was younger.

The Shaq-Fu Series

Shaq is no stranger to the gaming world, despite his lack of current gaming knowledge. Electronic Arts, best known for creating The Sims and many professional sports games, released the two-dimensional fighting game, Shaq Fu, in 1994.

They released the game for the Sega Genesis, Super NES, Game Boy, Game Gear, and Amiga. The game got its name from Shaq’s album of the same name, and it has the same lighthearted tone.

While the game appears to be a success, it is actually a poorly coded reskin of Mortal Kombat.

More Information About The Shaq-Fu Series

This gave all the characters’ movements an eerie, unnatural twitch, with Shaq being the most jarring of the bunch. This, however, was not the end of the gaming series.

In 2014, a crowdfunded sequel was in the works to be created and released for current gaming systems such as the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC gaming.

After they completed the fundraising, the game took four years to complete. Because of the game’s parody-like nature, the game developers could not release it because of a variety of licensing issues.

Shaq In The Drink Industry

Shaq In The Drink Industry

It wasn’t enough for Shaquille O’Neal to have the fast-food industry under control; he also wanted his own drink.

While other rappers were attempting to sell energy drinks to their fans, Shaq was collaborating with Arizona Tea to create Shaq Sodas.

The sodas were all-natural cream sodas in a variety of flavors, including Original Vanilla, Orange Cream, Strawberry Cream, and Blueberry Cream. They sweeten these sodas with cane sugar and contain real vanilla from Madagascar.

Further Information About Shaq In The Drink Industry

Each flavor of Shaq soda had a unique design, and Shaq made a different face for each. Because of their sleek yet silly designs, many of his fans have a can or two in their collection.

Later, Arizona released another line of Shaq-inspired drinks to commemorate the Shaq Fu sequel. Shaq Fu Punch is available in three flavors: grape, strawberry, and pineapple.

Many customers complained they tasted like medicine or were simply not worth the low price of $1.49, with many reviewers recommending that you instead purchase a stick of gum or another Arizona tea.

Shaq Endorsements

Celebrities are extremely popular in advertisements, and someone frequently compensated handsomely for them. Shaq is no stranger to the world of endorsements.

 He has appeared in many commercials promoting brands such as Oreo, Burger King, and Pepsi. Besides appearing in TV commercials, he has taken a more hands-on approach to collaborate with brands.

For example, in 1992 and 1995, he collaborated with Reebok to design two pairs of sneakers. He also collaborated with Arizona Beverages to create his own soda, Soda Shaq.

Real Estate/Other Property

Real Estate/Other Property

Shaq previously owned a 31,000-square-foot Florida estate, which he sold for $16.5 million in early 2021. While this is a large sum, it is approximately 40% less than the original asking price of $28 million.  

In the same year, he sold his home in Bell Canyon, California, for $1.85 million. Shaq’s other properties include an Atlanta estate purchased for $1.15 million and a Las Vegas estate purchased for $2 million.

Shaq Becomes DJ Diesel

Following his sons’ interest in EDM music, Shaq decided it was time for him to mix. What began as a side hobby for Shaq quickly evolved into a paid career.

 Soon after, he adopted the stage name “DJ Diesel” and began performing at some of the world’s most prestigious EDM festivals.  These festivals would generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, as well as millions of adoring fans.

Shaq quickly rose to prominence in the EDM community. He even started working on side projects with major labels like Insomniac and WorldWide Records.

Shaq’s Wife & Children

On December 26, 2002, Shaquille married Shaunie O’Neal. They have four (4) children together: Shareef Rashaun (son), Shaqir Rashaun (son), Amirah Sanaa (daughter), and Me’arah Sanaa (daughter).

Before his marriage to Shaunie, he had a daughter (Taahirah O’Neal) with his ex-girlfriend, Arnetta Yarbourgh, and Shaunie has a son (Myles) from a previous relationship.

The couple divorced in 2010 because of irreconcilable differences. Shaquille and Shaunie O’Neal have joint custody of their children following their divorce.

Who is Shaq O’neal’s New Girlfriend?

Shaq was spotted on a beach with Annie Ilonzeh in a good mood, according to reports. They both appeared to be having a good time.

She is a well-known celebrity and television personality who has appeared on many successful and popular television shows.

The former NBA player was dating popular model Laticia Rolle, with whom he split in 2018. During his vacation, they discovered him in Spain with his new girlfriend.

Shaquille O’Neal Award And Tittles

Shaquille O’Neal Award And Tittles

Shaquille O’Neal left the Orlando Magic in search of a bigger market. The Los Angeles Lakers were a marquee franchise in the game’s history.

That meant that a championship was expected. O’Neal had fallen short of this goal, but the 1999-2000 season would be his first in what would be a Lakers dynasty.

O’Neal won the league MVP and Finals MVP but fell short of the triple crown by failing to win Defensive Player of the Year. Below is a list of his awards.

1. Most Valuable Player 

O’Neal averaged 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3.0 blocks in 79 games. He finished first in scoring, second in rebounding, and third in blocks.

 The Lakers won 67 games under O’Neal, which was the most in the league and 11 more than the Eastern Conference leader, the Indiana Pacers.

O’Neal came close to winning the award unanimously. He received 120 votes for first place. Allen Iverson received the other first-place vote, despite finishing seventh in MVP voting.

2. 2nd Place Defensive Player Of The Year

O’Neal might have won the triple crown if Alonzo Mourning hadn’t been the league’s best shot-blocker. Instead, Mourning led the league with 3.7 blocks per game, beating out both Dikembe Mutombo and Shaquille O’Neal.

 Despite Mourning’s excellent rim protection, O’Neal could have easily won this award. To begin, O’Neal came in second in the rebounding race, while Mourning came in 11th.

O’Neal was also second in defensive rebounds, with Mourning coming in tenth. Not to mention, O’Neal had a higher defensive rating and finished second in the league, while Mourning came in seventh.

What Is He Currently Doing??

Shaq now spends his time researching which company or industry he will invest in next. He frequently invests in fast food because of the consistent returns.

Shaq is the owner of 17 Auntie Anne’s, nine Papa John’s, a Krispy Kreme, and 155 Five Guys restaurants. Despite the size of his fast-food empire, he is always looking to expand.

He even aspires to own 100 Krispy Kremes. With how well he has managed his 155 Five Guys, this dream of his becomes far more plausible.

FAQs about Shaq Net Worth

1. How Rich Is Shaquille O’Neal?

As of 2022, Shaquille O’Neal’s net worth is roughly $400 million, making him one of the richest athletes in the world. So to answer your question, his very rich. 


2. Is Shaquille O’Neal a Good Businessman?

Shaquille O’Neal is a successful entrepreneur and investor. O’Neal is a savvy entrepreneur, with a vast portfolio that includes investments in Apple and General Electric dating back to the early 1990s, as well as investments in eSports teams.


3. Why is Shaquille O’Neal So Popular?

O’Neal is one of the greatest basketball players and centers of all time. This is why he is so popular.


4. What Made Shaquille O’Neal Such a Great Basketball Player?

He was so good at being famous that, even as he slid from superstar (Magic, Lakers, Heat) to role player (Cavs, Celtics).


5. How Good Was Shaquille O’Neal in His Prime?

In reality, O’Neal was statistically even more dominant than Jordan in the late 1990s. Shaq’s 1999-2000 season ranks among the best ever: 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 3.0 blocks per game.


6. Do You Think LeBron Can Become Richer Than Jordan?

It’s possible, but Jordan has a huge headstart. He’s already a billionaire while LeBron’s net worth is still at 300 million. Jordan’s money is still growing.


More FAQs about Shaq Net Worth

7. How Many 3’s Did Shaq Make?

Shaquille O’Neal made 1 three-pointer in his career.


8. Did Shaquille O’Neal Buy Papa John?

Shaquille O’Neal owns nine Papa John’s pizza restaurants in the Atlanta area, serves on the company’s board of directors, and has a new endorsement deal with the brand.


9. Did Shaq Wear His Payless Shoes When he Played Basketball?

He was under contract with Reebok. His signature shoe lines included the Kamikaze, Shaqnosis, and Shaq Attack. That was, according to what I know, earlier in his career.


10. Could Wilt Chamberlain Have Guarded Shaquille O’Neal?

Wilt Chamberlain could guard any NBA player ever. He was the same height as Shaq and the strongest player in league history, as well as being faster and more agile than O’Neal, whose 32-inch vertical dwarfs Wilt’s 48-inch vertical.


Shaquille O’Neal has proven to be a capable player both on and off the court. The former NBA player has taken advantage of his salary to increase his financial opportunities.

Shaq is certain to build wealth and increase his net worth as he continues to make calculated investments.

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