Twelve years after his retirement, former basketball legend Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal is still going strong.
The former NBA big man is now known as the 91st most popular all-time person and a savvy businessman. He has established a “multimillion-dollar, airwave-dominating viral moment-making empire” (Masunaga).
O’Neal is now widely known for the extravagance of products he advocates for, including his sizable business portfolio and TNT basketball commentary.
Texas A&M associate professor Natasha Brison states, “I think his brand is stronger now than it has ever been. He’s literally reshaped what it means to be a retired athlete.”
As a big believer in franchising and an omnipresent figure in the business world, Shaquille has owned “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” (Masunaga).
O’Neal has appeared in commercials ranging from Icy Hot, a medicine for joint pains and minor aches, to PointsBet, a sports betting app. He has collaborated with live events companies to host events such as Shaqtoberfest Halloween Carnival and Shaq’s Fun House Super Bowl festival.
He has partnered with beverage companies to release his own Shaq-branded drinks. He is also a Papa John’s board member, a shareholder at Genius Brands International, and a benefactor of Majority.
While he stays active in the business world, Shaq also boosts his popularity with charity acts that seem unpublicized by Shaq or his team and entirely done out of goodwill. These pure acts of kindness and Shaq’s bright personality and sincerity make him popular among consumers and fans.
Whether any athlete can live up to the name Shaquille has made for himself and call themselves his successor is still being determined. To be his successor, they would need a long-lasting and remarkable career, one that people would remember years after their retirement.
NYU associate professor Brandon Brown states, “It’s tough to do either of those two things. And Shaq has done both. To see both combined, I think it will be a while. But nothing’s impossible.”
The former NBA big man is now known as the 91st most popular all-time person and a savvy businessman. He has established a “multimillion-dollar, airwave-dominating viral moment-making empire” (Masunaga).
O’Neal is now widely known for the extravagance of products he advocates for, including his sizable business portfolio and TNT basketball commentary.
Texas A&M associate professor Natasha Brison states, “I think his brand is stronger now than it has ever been. He’s literally reshaped what it means to be a retired athlete.”
As a big believer in franchising and an omnipresent figure in the business world, Shaquille has owned “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” (Masunaga).
O’Neal has appeared in commercials ranging from Icy Hot, a medicine for joint pains and minor aches, to PointsBet, a sports betting app. He has collaborated with live events companies to host events such as Shaqtoberfest Halloween Carnival and Shaq’s Fun House Super Bowl festival.
He has partnered with beverage companies to release his own Shaq-branded drinks. He is also a Papa John’s board member, a shareholder at Genius Brands International, and a benefactor of Majority.
While he stays active in the business world, Shaq also boosts his popularity with charity acts that seem unpublicized by Shaq or his team and entirely done out of goodwill. These pure acts of kindness and Shaq’s bright personality and sincerity make him popular among consumers and fans.
Whether any athlete can live up to the name Shaquille has made for himself and call themselves his successor is still being determined. To be his successor, they would need a long-lasting and remarkable career, one that people would remember years after their retirement.
NYU associate professor Brandon Brown states, “It’s tough to do either of those two things. And Shaq has done both. To see both combined, I think it will be a while. But nothing’s impossible.”