By: Yvonne Liu
From playing for the Lakers, to acting, to franchising, to starting a fast-food chain, Shaquille O’Neal’s achievements have changed what it means to be a retired athlete.
“I’ve always been a businessman who is athletic,” he said during a 2013 interview with CNBC.
O’Neal is a big believer in franchising. He owns 40 24-Hour Fitness gyms, 155 Five Guys restaurants, at least one Krispy Kreme doughnut shop, 17 Auntie Anne’s pretzel stands and nine Papa John’s pizza places. Shaq is also a board member of Papa John’s Pizza.
Other than basketball, O’Neal has also had a successful acting career. He has been in at least 21 movies, including Grown Ups 2, Kazaam, Uncle Drew, Steel, Blue Chip, Blended, Scary Movie 4, Hustle, The House Bunny, and many more.
Did you know Shaqtoberfest exists? It’s a play of words with Shaquille’s name, and the German festival Oktoberfest. It’s a Halloween celebration meant for everyone. Shaq’s plan was to make it one of the most popular Halloween destinations, with trick-or-treating during the day and becoming a haunted destination at night. It truly is fit for everyone. Shaqtoberfest will be held at The Queen Mary, a famous ocean liner docked at Long Beach.
O’Neal has also partnered with several companies including Zales, Macy’s, and AriZona Beverages, to put out his own Shaq products.
O’Neals endorsements include Burger King (Shaq Pack), Triple Double Oreos, Reebok, Wheaties, Pepsi (Shaw Attack), Mr. Big, Taco Bell, and many many more.
O’Neal started a festival, partnered with companies, was a brand ambassador, endorsements, played professional basketball, and invested. He was a Google investor, and an early Apple investor. He even invested in Ring before Amazon acquired it.
But there have been failures. “O’Neal made deals with internet service provider Freeinternet.com and co-founded the shoe and apparel e-commerce company Dunk.net, both of which failed during the dot-com bust.”
Shaquille’s appeals to companies because of his fun-loving personality, and apparent sincerity that makes customers feel like they know him.
“You have to let Shaquille be Shaquille, and the magic will come,” his agent, Perry Rogers, said in the HBO documentary series “Shaq.” “At the end of the day, we’re in the fun business. That’s who Shaquille is.”