Over the years, the former superstar Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers - the legendary Shaquille O'Neill has also established himself as an experienced investor with shares in Google, Apple, 24-Hour Fitness, as well as a number of fast food franchises.
The secret of success
In a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, O'Neill revealed his main business secret. It turns out that he owes much of his financial success to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who is the richest man in the world, whose fortune is estimated at $ 163.1 billion.
In an interview, O'Neill said: “Jeff Bezos once said that he invests his money based on whether it will change people's lives or not. When I began to act in accordance with this strategy, my condition increased, I think, four times. ”
According to NBC Sports, O'Neill's fortune currently stands at about $ 400 million.
Where to invest
In an interview, he said that after retiring in 2011, he invested money only in those initiatives that he really liked and that he believed in, abandoning even those things that could make a profit, but were not close to O'Neill spirit.
“If I come across a business, but I don’t believe in it myself, then I won’t even look at it,” he tells The Wall Street Journal.
At the same time, Shaquille does not believe that money is the most important thing to strive for if you are engaged in business. It is this philosophy, in his opinion, that Jeff Bezos adheres to, the same position Shaquille himself tries to adhere to: "When I do business, I think not about money."
O'Neill, who invested in Google in early 1999, considers this his best investment of all time, but he is also extremely pleased with his participation in the development of the Krispy Kreme Donut donut network.
“I really like donuts, Krispy Kreme makes delicious donuts. I tried them back in college and since then I just adore them, ”O'Neill admits.
He also talked about his main investment strategy, telling CNBC that he never makes decisions based on numbers alone.
“I never say like this:“ If I invest in something, then in five years we could sell it for so much ... ”Every time I tried to apply such a financial model, it always ended in failure "He says.
Shaquille O'Neill's career
Shaquille O'Neill - the legendary center, who entered the NBA halls of fame, where he spent more than 1,400 matches.
In 1992, Shaquille was taken to the Orlando Magic professional basketball club, speaking in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association, where he quickly made a name for himself. Four years later, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers Basketball Club before being traded for the Miami Heat in 2004. From there, he moved to the Phoenix Suns, then to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and finally to the Boston Celtics.
In 2011, he retired from big sports, putting an end to his brilliant nineteen-year-old basketball career. But he never went far from the spotlight, releasing four rap albums, performing as a music producer and DJ, appearing regularly in films and even acting as a producer of two of his own reality television shows - Shaq's Big Challenge (2007) and Shack Against "(2009-2010).