Shaquille O’Neal says he expects to receive roughly $1 million a month in guaranteed income after turning 55 in March. The NBA legend shared the projection during a conversation with an investment podcaster known as Jack.
O’Neal, one of the richest athletes of his generation, said a lesson from an unnamed wealthy businessman helped shape the way he handled his earnings during his basketball career.
“I would always see this filthy rich guy,” O’Neal recalled in a clip, speaking in his unmistakably deep voice. “I’m talking rich—Four Seasons, Rolls-Royce.”
Curious about how the man had maintained his fortune, O’Neal asked him for advice. The businessman responded by telling the future Hall of Famer to save 75 percent of everything he made.
“He said, ‘Shaq, if you have $100, you want to save $50. But if you want to be wealthy, you play with $25 and you save $75,’” O’Neal said. “After I heard him say that, I started receiving endorsement checks and wouldn’t even cash them.”
A significant portion of that money was placed into annuities—financial contracts purchased from insurance companies that can provide income in the future in exchange for an upfront payment.
Shaquille O’Neal expects to make around $1 million a month in fixed income after he turns 55 in March, he told an investment podcaster who goes by Jack
‘Next year I get a lot, almost for the rest of my life,’ O’Neal said. ‘So 55, 60, and 65. That was my failproof, just in case the investments don’t work and this and that… I don’t like to brag but I think at 55 I’ll probably get $1 million a month.
Not every investment has paid off for O’Neal, who said he bought Google stock that would be worth a fortune now if he hadn’t gotten divorced.
The opportunity to invest came about after O’Neal discussed the budding tech company with another guest at a luxury hotel.
‘He started talking about Google,’ O’Neal said. ‘I had no idea what he was talking about… So, I give it to my money guy. I said, “Hey man, met this guy. He’s talking about this Google thing, search engine thing in the future.”
‘He said, “Hey man. This looks pretty promising.”‘ I put in a little bit and I forgot about it.
‘Then one day I was reading the paper and they talked about all the guys that were first investors and that was a nice big hit,’ he continued, ‘which I lost all of in my divorce.’
Shaquille O’Neal and his then-wife Shaunie attend his birthday bash in Miami in 2009
Shaunie O’Neal (L), NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal (R) and family attend the grand opening of Shaquille’s At L.A. Live at LA Live on March 09, 2019 in Los Angeles
O’Neal filed for divorce from Shaunie Henderson in September of 2007 after admitting he ‘wasn’t protecting [Henderson] and protecting those vows.’ However, the pair reconciled about a year later, with Henderson telling the Associated Press that they halted the divorce proceedings.
They called it quits again in 2009 before their divorce was finalized in 2011.
Over a decade later, in May 2022, Shaunie married Pastor Keion Henderson.
In an interview with singer Monica, O’Neal wished Henderson and her new groom well, saying: ‘Shaunie was also a perfect woman and I messed it up.’
‘I hope this gentleman treats her the way she’s supposed to be treated, and I’m going to still love her,’ O’Neal continued. ‘She’s still my wife. I will always protect, provide and love for her — married or not.’
Despite the split, O’Neal is still believed to be worth at least a half billion dollars, if not more.
