The Los Angeles Lakers struck gold when they signed Shaquille O’Neal in 1996. The team finally had a superstar to build around once again, and Magic Johnson helped the new face of the franchise follow in his footsteps in more ways than one.
Apparently, Johnson, who has been equally as successful off the court as he was on it, gave O’Neal some sage advice after he signed with the Lakers as the 48-year-old admitted to Daymond John at a Black Entrepreneurs Day event.
“When I first got to L.A., [Johnson] said, ‘Shaq, it’s okay to be famous and all that but at some point, you want to start owning things,’” O’Neal said.
O’Neal clearly took that financial advice to heart as he’s been one of the most successful NBA players off the court following his retirement in 2011.
The four-time NBA champion not only made over a quarter of a billion dollars during his playing career at $286,344,668, but he’s done quite well for himself financially after putting together a Hall of Fame resume on the basketball floor.
Along with being an analyst for NBA on TNT for nearly a decade, O’Neal has sponsored numerous companies over the years and is currently a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings.
Needless to say, Johnson’s advice has helped him greatly as he’s one of the few professional athletes that’s learned how to take care of his money.
