“New Thing Happening on the Internet”

Google and Shaquille O’Neal. Credits: USA Today Sports and Imago

Shaquille O’Neal was actively building a solid off-court business even in his early playing days. So much so that at times, he forgot where he was investing. In an interesting tale, during his Lakers tenure, the big fella forgot that he had invested in search engine Google when the engine was in its nascent stages. In his 2011 memoir Shaq Uncut: My Story, co-authorized by Jackie Macmullan, he revealed how he forgot about his investment in the go-to search engine of the 21st Century.

It was 1999 when the Lakers Center was approached by his advisors who recommended an investment in the fresh venture.

“There’s this new thing happening on the internet. It’s a search engine and you can type in almost anything you want and it will call up all the information about it,” informed Shaquille O Neal’s advisors as per the 2011 memoir.

Heeding this advice, the Lakers Center rolled the dice on Google. However, owing to his hooping duties and various other business ventures, Shaq forgot about this investment. But his advisors had hit the nail on the head, as the search engine was indeed gaining a strong foothold in the market.

The Lakers All-Star had invested in it just a few months after its inception, as a result, he racked up huge profits when Google hit the market. He learned about making a big bank through it when Lakers’ trainer Gary Vitti found out about it in a newspaper.

“Damn you Shaq! You’re into everything!” exclaimed Vitti to Shaq as per his memoir.

The ambitious investor would later reveal more about this story of his Google riches in a bunch of interviews. In Zack O’Malley Greenburg’s book “A-List Angels: How a Band of Actors, Artists, and Athletes Hacked Silicon Valley”, O’Neal told the author how he met the advisor who pushed him to invest in Google. The Center was babysitting in Four Seasons when the father of the kid he was babysitting asked him to invest in Google.

Meanwhile, in an interview with TechCrunch, the perennial NBA All-Star expressed how he felt after reading about the profits he has made.

“The newspaper told me how much I made and I couldn’t believe how much I made,” stated the big fella to TechCrunch.

The 3x Finals MVP did regret not buying more stakes in Google but he was one of its early backers nonetheless. This is just one of the examples among many that showcases how the 4x NBA champion has been a bold investor. He has seen his fortunes flourish amidst the explosion of the internet.

Shaquille O’Neal has a myriad of business investments

You know O’Neal is looking to make a big bank when technology is in its budding stages. He bought stakes in mobility company Lyft which became a game-changer in the ride-hailing services. The early investor also banked upon sleep tracker Oura Health and home-security device maker Ring, which was later bought by Amazon.

Amidst these developments, O’Neal kept seeing his wealth multiply at an electric rate. But more than that, he also encouraged a wave of venture capitalists. What makes the former Lakers Center an amazing businessman is his ability to discern the avenues for innovative technologies. He knows when to ride a wave and has built a blueprint for many athletes.

These are just a few examples of Shaq investing in a high-profile company. His Inside the NBA colleague Kenny Smith has crowned Shaq as the “most astute businessman” and seeks his advice. Sure, there have been some misses like his investment in the fraud-ridden FTX which even led to him getting summons while covering an NBA game. But in the end, that is the price one has to pay when charting unknown territories.