Not only is Los Angeles Lakers icon Shaquille O’Neal one of the greatest basketball players of all-time and universally considered the most dominant force the game has ever seen, but he is also one of the most recognizable faces off the court, possessing one of the biggest brands any athlete has compiled in recent memory.
O’Neal has a number of investments and businesses that he is a part of and that is not something that just happened by accident. In an interview with Rich Kleiman of Boardroom, O’Neal says it was another Lakers legend in Magic Johnson that told him to focus on business, and he was determined to make sure he lives on forever:
“Just coming in and wanting to be a basketball player. Magic Johnson tells me, ‘Make sure you focus on business.’… My professor at marketing class started talking about branding—there’s good brands, really good brands, great brands, and brands that live forever. And I always wanted to live forever. Towards the end of my career, I started to see my name fade away. I’m walking down Hollywood Boulevard and there’s Elvis stuff everywhere, Marilyn Monroe stuff everywhere. I’m like, How do these people live forever? So I started doing my research on companies. When I met with Jamie and his son [Corey], they had a big argument in front of me — I was like, ‘I want to be with these guys.’”
If there is any athlete who could steer O’Neal in the right direction in terms of business it is Johnson, who has arguably found more success in the business world than he did as a player which seems inconceivable considering he is widely considered the greatest point guard of all-time and was a five-time NBA Champion and three-time NBA MVP.
As O’Neal spoke about, some people live on forever, even after their passing. He mentioned Elvis and Marilyn Monroe and the same can be said for the likes of Michael Jackson and, of course, his former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant. It is certainly safe to say that O’Neal has built out an extremely impressive portfolio and it is hard to imagine him ever being forgotten.
Shaquille O’Neal takes shot at former Lakers center Deandre Ayton
O’Neal is well known to not be afraid to speak his mind when it comes to big men in today’s game. And in assessing the current Lakers roster, he couldn’t help but to take a shot at former Lakers center Deandre Ayton.
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