“Shaq created himself as a brand” - Former NBA player outlines Shaquille O'Neal's magnanimous effect on NBA, mentions he "became more than an athlete"

Shaquille O'Neal is a four-time NBA champion, a former MVP, Hall of Famer and one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. O'Neal is also currently working as an analyst for Inside the NBA on TNT, as well as a DJ known as DIESEL.

It's not surprising to see O'Neal voted as one of the most influential players of all time by his peers in a survey conducted by HoopsHype. The LA Lakers legend came in at number seven with 12.31% of the maximum amount of points possible. O'Neal was behind Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Steph Curry.

One former NBA player explained to HoopsHype why Shaquille O'Neal became influential to not jus this peers, but to the entertainment and entrepreneurial world. The former player noted that O'Neal became his own brand and studied how to become a successful businessman.

"Shaq created himself as a brand. He became more than an athlete, venturing off to all aspects of business, TV, books, and whatever you can think of. Shaq was one of the first athletes to branch out of the norms of what athletes do," the former player said.

Shaquille O'Neal's personality was infectious on and off the court. It made him marketable, becoming the face of a lot of brands from appliances, food, shoes and many more. He also had a successful music career and ventured into a few movies during and after his basketball career.

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What is Shaquille O'Neal's net worth?

Shaquille O'Neal at the F1 Grand Prix of USA.

Shaquille O'Neal is one of the wealthiest players in the history of the NBA. According to Celebrity Net Worth, O'Neal has an estimated net worth of around $400 million. He earned a total of $292 million for playing in the NBA, while adding $200 million from endorsements in his 19-year career.

After retiring in 2011, O'Neal continued to invest in a lot of companies and signed many endorsement deals. It's been reported that he earns more annually after retirement than during his NBA career.

Despite all the success and money in the world, O'Neal has stayed humble and always gives back to the community. He is also notoriously known for doing random good deeds whenever he's out and is always trying to make people smile and reward hardworking people.

One of the reasons O'Neal is doing all these things is because of his mother, Lucille O'Neal. The Hall of Fame center noted that his mother taught him to give back and help people in need.

"I had a meeting with my mother, Dr. Lucille O'Neal, and she was like, 'Baby, you've done everything I've asked you to do. I think you should go about every day just making somebody smile and making somebody happy.' So I take pride in each and every day by just making one person smile, whether it's one person or whether it's a hundred people or whether it's a thousand people," Shaq said.