| Net Worth | $500 million |
|---|---|
| Source Of Wealth | Basketball |
| Born | 6th March 1972 |
| Wife | Shaunie O'Neal |
| Children | 6 |
| Birth Name | Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal |
| Height | 7ft 1in (216cm) |
Shaquille O'Neal's Net Worth
Shaquille O'Neal's has an estimated net worth of $500 million. O'Neal earned close to $300 million from his contracts with the NBA. He earned an additional $200 million in endorsements.
Though he has retired from the NBA, O'Neal earns an active salary of around $50 million through his media appearances and investments in businesses. He has invested in Papa John's, Krispy Kreme, and other major companies.
O'Neal also received large paychecks for his roles in movies. He claimed that he was paid $7 million to star in Shazaam. In total, Shaquille O'Neal's net worth is believed to be $500 million.
Quick, think about the greatest basketball players of all time! You may have thought of Michael Jordan and Larry Bird, but no list is complete without Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal scored more than 28,500 points in his NBA career, the eighth-highest of all time.
O'Neal has been a figure in the world media for decades now. Yet few people know much about him. If you want to call yourself a true basketball fan, you have to study the man named Shaq.
Where did Shaq come from, and what was his career like? What is Shaquille O'Neal's net worth? Who are his kids, and do they show any promise in basketball?
Answer these questions and you can become an expert in all things Shaq. Here is your comprehensive guide.
Early Life
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal was born on March 6, 1972, in Newark, New Jersey. His mother was Lucille O'Neal and his father was Joe Toney.
Toney was a high school basketball player who had been offered a basketball scholarship to play at Seton Hall. However, he struggled with drug addiction and went to prison for drug possession while O'Neal was young.
After being released from prison, Toney relinquished his parental rights. Phillip Arthur Harrison, an Army sergeant, became Shaq's stepfather. O'Neal and Harrison formed a close bond with each other, and Shaq referred to Harrison in interviews as his true father.
O'Neal's parents were more than six feet tall, and by the time he was thirteen, O'Neal was six feet six inches tall. He decided to play basketball at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Newark.
O'Neal moved to Germany and Texas due to Harrison's career in the Army. When Shaq was 16, he joined his first basketball team at Robert G. Cole High School. He was six feet ten inches tall, and he became a varsity member of the team. It was in his senior year that he has his first taste of real success by leading his team to the state championship.
He graduated from high school and took his talents to Louisiana State University where he studied business. He continued to play basketball and had a highly successful college career. He was a two-time All-American and was named college player of the year by the Associated Press.
O'Neal left Louisiana State early to start his professional career. But he continued to take classes and earned his degree in 2000.
Career
Shaquille O'Neal was the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, with the Orlando Magic selecting him. Shaq played basketball for 19 years and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016. However, his career has numerous ups and downs, even when he was winning championships.
Orlando Magic
O'Neal's rookie season was sensational. He was named Player of the Week in his very first week in the NBA.
He averaged more than 23 points and 13 rebounds a game, and he was named NBA Rookie of the Year for his efforts. However, the Magic failed to make the playoffs.
In the 1993-1994 season, O'Neal improved his performance, averaging nearly 30 points a game. The Magic made the playoffs for the first time, though they lost in the first round.
O'Neal led the NBA in scoring during the 1994-1995 season, again averaging nearly 30 points a game. The Magic made the NBA Finals, and O'Neal averaged 28 points a game. But the Magic lost to the Houston Rockets in a sweep.
O'Neal missed nearly 30 games in the 1995-1996 season due to injuries. He was still named to the All-Star team for the season, and the Magic made it to the NBA Playoffs for the third year in a row.
Los Angeles Lakers
During his time with the Magic, O'Neal feuded with the coaches. Reporters overheard him saying that the head coach should be fired and replaced with his assistant.
Before the 1996-1997 season, O'Neal signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for seven years. He missed more than 30 games due to injuries, but he averaged more than 25 points per game but
Kobe Bryant was signed to the Lakers during the 1996-1997 season. The two players formed a good team on the court, but they feuded with each other behind closed doors. While O'Neal was casual and charismatic, Bryant was prickly and standoffish, causing arguments in the locker room.
The next season, O'Neal improved his point average and led the league in field goal percentage. The Lakers made it to the playoffs, but they lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Utah Jazz.
In 1999, the Lakers hired Phil Jackson, who had coached the Chicago Bulls to six championships. O'Neal thrived under Jackson's leadership, becoming the 1999-2000 season's MVP and the Lakers won the NBA championship. The Lakers went on to win three titles between 2000 and 2002, and O'Neal was MVP of the NBA Finals each time.
O'Neal had toe surgery before the 2002-2003 season. The Lakers failed to reach the NBA Finals, and O'Neal's injuries continued to bother him during practices.
Miami Heat
During the 2003-2004 season, O'Neal feuded with executives over his salary and continued to spar with Bryant. O'Neal felt the team was appeasing Bryant and ignoring him, so he decided to go to the Miami Heat.
The 2004-2005 season saw O'Neal play in more than 70 games. He led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Heat did not advance.
O'Neal missed 18 games during the 2005-2006 season. His coach Pat Riley sidelined him after he returned, hoping that he would become healthy for the playoffs.
The Heat did make the playoffs, but the team was considered to be underdogs. But O'Neal led the team to defeat several younger and more energized teams, and the Heat won its first-ever NBA Finals.
O'Neal had another injury in 2006 that caused him to miss dozens of games. His scoring average dropped below 20 points, even though the Heat made the playoffs for the second year in a row.
Shaq experienced career lows during the 2007-2008 season. He fouled out of five consecutive games and averaged less than 15 points per game.
Late Years
O'Neal was traded to the Phoenix Suns in February 2008. The Suns made the playoffs and lost in the first round, but Shaq managed to improve his point and rebound averages. In the 2008-2009 season, O'Neal averaged 18 points per game.
But the Suns traded him at the end of the season, looking to save money. He went to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but he experienced thumb injuries and averaged career lows.
In August 2010, O'Neal signed a contract with the Boston Celtics. He missed dozens of games due to various injuries, yet the Celtics made the first round of the playoffs. On June 1, 2011, O'Neal posted a video on Twitter announcing his retirement after a 19-year career.
Other Endeavors
O'Neal is as well-known for his presence in the media as he is for basketball. Even after his basketball career ended, he appeared in movies, television shows, and commercials. He also values education and gained a masters degree in education from Barry University.
Acting
O'Neal's first role was in the movie Blue Chips, in which he had a small part as a basketball player. The movie failed to make back its budget, and O'Neal received a Razzie nomination for "Worst New Star."
Nonetheless, he got a starring role in the children's movie Kazaam, in which he played a rapping genie. The next year, he starred in the superhero movie Steel, which earned just over 10% of its budget at the box office.
Since Steel, O'Neal's career has been based around small roles, usually parodying himself. He has had cameo appearances in movies like Jack and Jill, Scary Movie 4, and Good Burger.
Video Games
O'Neal has been featured on the covers of several basketball video games, and he is a playable character in NBA Jam and NBA Live 2004. He starred in the video game Shaq Fu, a fighting game where players can play as O'Neal and fight various characters.
Nintendo Power and other outlets have called it one of the worst video games of all time. Nonetheless, the game became a cult classic, with a sequel being released in 2018. The game received negative reviews, but it is still available for sale on Web 3.0 websites.
Rapping
O'Neal released his first rap album in 1993. Critics gave Shaq Diesel mixed or negative reviews, but it reached 25 on the Billboard 200 and sold more than one million copies.
O'Neal released three more albums during the 1990s. None of them received critical success, yet each of them reached the top 100 on the Billboard charts in different fiscal quarters. O'Neal has stopped releasing rap music, but he performs as a DJ and plays his own electronic music at venues throughout the world.
Current Projects
In addition to his DJing career, O'Neal remains in the media through commercials. He has had promotional deals with Pepsi, Reebok, Nestle, and other major companies. Ads featuring him are currently running for The General and IcyHot.
In 2013 Shaq bought a 1% stake in the Sacramento Kings for $5,000,000, a share he sold in 2021. He also joined the Board Of Directors for Papa Johns and regularly features on television as a sports analyst.
O'Neal has also participated in professional wrestling. In 2020 and 2021, he appeared in episodes of AEW Dynamite.
Relationships
Shaq has been in many relationships throughout his life. He dated Arnette Yarborough during the 1990s and had his first child with her.
Shaq did not get married until 2002 when he married Shaunie Nelson. He had four children with her, but O'Neal filed for divorce from her in 2007. They managed to reconcile before finally divorcing in 2009.
Since his divorce, Shaq has been in numerous relationships. He is currently single, and he has given interviews with the media about his romantic life, saying he was responsible for his divorce.
Family
Shaq has six children from three relationships. His oldest daughter Taahirah was born in 1996. She currently works as a communications assistant with Pepsi.
His oldest son Miles was born in 1997. He works as a model, and he has appeared on several reality shows.
His second son Shareef was born in 2000. He began playing basketball when he was 13, and he went to UCLA to play basketball.
His college career was sidelined due to health problems, and he transferred to Louisiana State University in 2019. He declared for the NBA draft in 2022, but he was not drafted, though he played with the Lakers during the 2022 NBA Summer League.
Amirah O'Neal was born in 2001. She is a college athlete like Shareef, and she is currently studying at Texas Southern University.
Shaqir is Shaq's youngest son, born in 2003. He is also at Texas Southern University, playing basketball as a forward.
Shaq's youngest child is Me'arah O'Neal, who was born in 2006. She is currently in high school, but she has claimed that she has offers from UCLA, Virginia, and Howard University to play basketball for them.
Shaq's stepfather died in 2013. Both of Shaq's biological parents are still alive, though Shaq is not speaking terms with his father. They met for the first time in 2016.
The Essentials of Shaq
Shaq showed promise as a basketball player early on in life. Though he experienced numerous injuries during his professional career, he won four championships.
In between seasons, Shaq had roles in several movies and television shows. You can still find him on television, though he spends most of his time on his many businesses. Shaquille O'Neal's net worth is $400 million, and he may grow wealthier as time goes on.
Our net worths are for entertainment purposes only. We do our best to provide accurate figures, but we cannot guarantee their accuracy. The figures are based on public information and estimates, and may not reflect the true value of assets or liabilities.
