By: Abby Huang

From printers to cereal to pain relief to car insurance, Shaquille O’Neal is literally everywhere. There have always been successful former athletes in the business category. But none of them have done it as Shaq has.

The former Lakers player is now even more renowned due to the abundance of products and brands he supports. These include a wide variety of labels, such as Ring Doorbells and his own fast-food chain, Big Chicken.

Natasha Brison, an associate professor who specializes in athlete branding, says, “He’s literally reshaped what it means to be a retired athlete.”

Shaq invests a lot. He owns around 40 24-Hour Fitness gyms, 155 Five Guys locations, nine Papa John’s restaurants, and more! His own restaurant chain has 18 locations around the country. He has also appeared in commercials for a variety of brands from Icy Hot to Google. He’s even on the board at Papa John’s, and he’s a founding partner at Majority, an advertising company.

However, even with all his success, Shaq has a lot of misses. Recently, O’Neal and other celebrity athletes have been facing a lawsuit over the cryptocurrency exchange FTX. In December he told CNBC that, “he was just a paid spokesperson for a commercial.” He then told them about his credibility and honesty.

Also, back in 2011, O’Neal was sued for endorsing the now-debunked Power Balance Bracelets, which falsely claimed to improve athletic performance.

Brison says, “I do believe that Shaq is given some grace. This goes back to … authenticity and him just being relatable. That relatability has been his strength.”

“You have to let Shaquille be Shaquille, and the magic will come,” his agent, Perry Rogers, says.

And Shaq’s acts of charity help with the credibility of his character. From buying dinner to sending money to families of shooting victims, Shaq’s actions make him more trustworthy.

Brandon Brown, an associate professor of sports management, says, “For so many consumers today, they’re looking for authenticity. Shaq has just been caught on social doing so many things. He seems to be a good guy, authentically.”

At the end of the day, however, Shaq’s good actions outweigh his few failures. “I’ve always been a businessman who’s athletic.”