Shaquille O’neal

The Big Aristotle

“Once I started doing that strategy, I think I probably quadrupled what I'm worth.”

Shaquille O’neal, or just “Shaq”, is a dominant force in both the world of basketball and business. As a player, “The Big Aristotle” won 4 championships and made 15 all-star games. Although Shaq is widely recognized as one of the greatest centers ever, he knew his playing career wasn’t going to last forever. Since retiring, we’ve come to know Shaq as one of the biggest TV personalities, but most of his money has come from savvy investments in franchising. Today, his franchising empire is worth an estimated $127 million dollars.

“I heard Jeff Bezos say one time that he makes his investments based on if it's going to change people's lives, and once I started doing that strategy, I think I probably quadrupled what I'm worth," Shaq told The Wall Street Journal.

The bulk of Shaq’s investments are tied up in the food industry. He currently owns 155 Five Guys Burgers, 17 Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, 9 Papa John’s, and 1 Krispy Kreme donut shop. Shaq is always looking to expand his food empire, publicly stating that he eventually wants to own 100 Krispy Kreme’s. Naturally, Shaq calls his franchise empire “Shaquille O’Meals”. It can be very advantageous to invest in something you're passionate in. In Shaq’s case, it’s food.