It’s never easy for an athlete to retire. They famously face identity crises, financial instability, and even serious mental health struggles after leaving the sport. But Shaquille O’Neal has overcome such challenges. On the financial side, he went from a legendary NBA career to more than tripling his income decades later.
At the peak of his career in the mid-2000s, O’Neal was making about $30 million a year. Now, retired from the game, more than two decades later, he has more than tripled his annual income to a staggering $95 million. How? Savvy investments, endorsements, and a fast food venture of his own.
He founded Big Chicken in 2018 in Las Vegas and has since expanded the chain, which serves fried chicken sandwiches and the typical trimmings (shakes, fries, etcetera). What’s really helped Big Chicken grow is its franchise program, which launched in 2021, and has since allowed it to open more locations across the U.S. It’s also available on some Carnival cruise ships, sports arenas, and more. The chain’s latest doors opened in Canada.
Big Chicken is reportedly about to secure $10 million in capital to expedite growth. “As long as we have the right village of people all communicating together and working together to smooth out the bumps so that we can grow fast, we can be in a great position to win,” Big Chicken CEO Josh Halpern said in a previous interview. “The goal now is how do we build the right infrastructure to go a little bit wider to support the growth that we’re expecting next year.”
O’Neal has also grown his wealth investing in and owning franchising fast food joints, including Auntie Anne’s, Papa John’s, and Krispy Kreme. He formerly part-owned 155 Five Guys restaurants.
It helps that the 53-year-old sticks to one of Jeff Bezos’ investing tenets: only buying into products and brands he uses personally and loves. “Once I started doing that strategy, I think I probably quadrupled what I’m worth now,” the Newark-born talent previously told CNBC. All together, between Big Chicken, his other franchises, endorsements, and surprise DJ gigs, he’s grown his net worth to an estimated minimum of $400 million.
Shaq is no stranger to big money moves. When he retired from the league in 2011, he had roughly $284 million in total NBA salary earnings. Since then, he’s continued growing his cash, investments, and ventures, like his eponymous shoe line or his Shaqalicious candies. But the fast food chicken spot might be poised to be his most financially successful ahead.
As O’Neal continues investing, scaling his businesses across borders, and making appearances on our screens, he also continues to cement his legacy as one of the most interesting and out-of-the-box careers that started in professional sports.