Shaquille O’Neal is one of the biggest figures for the NBA over the last three decades. Duringhis 19 year National Basketball Association career, O’Neal won four NBA Championships and played for six teams. Earning nearly $300 million during his career, O’Neal has turned to investing in companies and a position as an NBA commentator to keep his fortune growing.
Authentic Brands Group, which manages Shaq's name and likeness, counts O'Neal as a shareholder and is eyeing plans to go public, which could add to the list of stocks that O'Neal owns.
Here are some publicly traded companies that have ties to Shaquille O’Neal.
Papa John’s: O’Neal owns franchises of several private-owned companies like Auntie Anne’s, fitness centers and car wash units. O’Neal also once owned 155 Five Guy locations beforeselling them.
One of O’Neal’s most well-known investments might be Papa John International Inc.(NASDAQ:PZZA), a company that he owns stock in, as well as owns franchised restaurants and serves on the board of directors.
The company has utilized O’Neal as a brand ambassador in commercials, named alimited-time pizza— the Shaq-a-Roni —after him andlistened to his marketing ideas.
Carnival Cruise Lines: Cruise lines might not need celebrities to sell their products, but that didn’t stop Carnival Corp.(NYSE:CCL) from grabbing O’Neal to become the company's “Chief Fun Officer” in advertisem*nts.
Many people have seen the commercials and likely associate O’Neal with the brand, which is something the cruise line is leaning heavily on in 2021. The company launched a mini CFO version of Shaq to highlight the company’s selection of shorter itineraries.
“Cruising is the best vacation around and Team Carnival is hard at work getting ready to sail again when the time is right. And my new pint-sized sidekick is the perfect way to let everyone know all the fun they can have on a Carnival cruise,” O’Neal said.
Genius Brands: Children’s animated media company Genius Brands International Inc(NASDAQ:GNUS) is betting on Shaq for an upcoming series, “Shaq’s Garage,” which has started production and is set to air in the second quarter of 2022. O’Neal will voice a character and is an investor in the company.
“He is involved in every aspect of this production,” Genius Brands CEO Andy Heyward told Benzinga.
NFL player Rob Gronkowski was recently named a co-executive producer on the show and will voice a character known as “Gronkmobile” on the show.
Alkaline Water: Earlier this year, Shaq was announced as the brand ambassador for Alkaline88, a product line from Alkaline Water Company Inc(NASDAQ:WTER). The company wanted a brand ambassador who has a positive attitude and landed on O’Neal.
“When you look at Shaq, you always think, ‘There’s a happy guy.’ Right? I mean, there’s no ifs and or buts about it. His personality is perfect for the brand,” Alkaline Water CEO Ricky Wright told Benzinga.
O’Neal joins Alkaline Water as a member of the board of advisors and is an investor in the company.
Alkaline Water reported first-quarter sales of $14.1 million and hit its 33rrd straight quarter of record quarterly comparable sales.
“Fiscal 2022 is shaping up to be a watershed year for the Alkaline Water Company. All the hard work and execution over the last eightyears is coming to fruition and I believe that Alkaline88 will be a household name this fiscal year,” Wright said.
The company highlighted the O’Neal news during its quarterly earnings saying sales are up significantly in the second quarter thanks to new marketing campaigns. The company launched the “Shaq Paq” in the second quarter, a six-pack of two liters meant to target clubs, big box and other retailers.
WynnBet: The online gaming division of Wynn Resorts Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN) is going public via SPAC merger with Austerlitz Acquisition Corp I (NYSE:AUS). The new unit will include brands suchas WynnBet, BetBull and WynnSlots and will be 58% owned by Wynn.
Wynn Interactive has live operations in six U.S. states and market access to 15 states.
WynnBet announced earlier this month it added Shaquille O’Neal as the company’s brand ambassador and will serve as a strategic consultant
“Mobile sports betting is having a major moment and I believe that WynnBet will be a powerful force in the industry,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal will be featured in television, digital and print advertising. A new free-to-play game called “ShaqPot” will also be hosted on the WynnBet app.
Beachbody: Recently completed SPAC merger Beachbody Company Inc(NYSE:BODY) went public with Forest Road Acquisition, a SPAC that counted O’Neal as an advisor to the fund. Beachbody does not have an endorsem*nt deal in place with O’Neal but will likely count him as an investor with his stake in the SPAC.
Forest Road Acquisition II: O’ Neal also serves as a strategic advisor to Forest Road Acquisition Corp II (NYSE:FRXB), a SPAC that is led by three former Walt Disney Co(NYSE:DIS) executives.
Amazon:O’Neal was an early investor in Ring, the smart doorbell company that was later acquired by Amazon.com,Inc.(NASDAQ:AMZN) for more than $1 billion. O’Neallovedthe product and was able to track down the investor and purchase a stake in the company.
Later, O’Neal starred in several commercials for Ring which increased the brand awareness and valuation of the company.
Without O’Neal perhaps a different company would have acquired Ring or it wouldn’t have ever gotten bought out.
O’Neal has credited Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with influencinghis philosophy of investing in things that change others’ lives. O’Neal said it helped him improve his net worth.
AT&T: Turner Sports, a segment of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), has featured O’Neal as a member of the “Inside the NBA” team. The company extended O’Neal’s contract last year and it lncludedthe development of “The Business of Basketball” for WarnerMedia.
“Shaq is so critical to our success and such a huge part of the heart and soul of our coverage,” WarnerMedia Chairman Jeff Zucker said.
Disclosure: Author is long shares GNUS.
Photo:Army.mil, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
