The basketball legend was raking in millions of dollars by the time he was 20
Let’s face it, a lot of us aspire to be wealthy and well-known by the time we’re young adults. It turns out that Shaquille O’Neal was living the dream, so he didn’t even need to dream about it. People were eager to get their hands on the athlete, and his seven-year, $40 million deal with the Orlando Magic was just the beginning of it all. For $20 to $25 million, the trading cards of Scoreboard, Spaulding, and Kenner all desired a piece of Shaq. Shaq was also approached by Reebok, who made an offer of $15 million, and Pepsi, who made an offer of $14 million. With all that labor and that cash, Shaq became a billionaire over night.
Shaquille O’Neal found a unique way to make his money feel real
Though many of us are unaware of it, many of us have been wondering what it would be like to have all the money in the world. Shaq has a special method for making sure he never takes his head off the clouds and his feet off the earth. With so much money at his disposal, it didn’t take the basketball player long to start making investments in other ventures. Car washes were among the first on the list, but something didn’t match up. Shaq’s accountant discovered that his accounts were missing almost $250,000. The cause? Shaq stored everything in his room in wooden barrels. He says he wanted the absurd sum of money to seem genuine.