Does Shaquille O'Neal own JCPenney? Looking at the 4x champ's investment portfolio

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal may be most well-known for his NBA career and his gig as an Analyst for “Inside the NBA” on TNT. However, O’Neal has also become a renowned businessman with multiple successful investments. O’Neal’s wide-ranging portfolio has led him to amass an impressive net worth of $400 million.-

O’Neal is reportedly the second highest individual shareholder of the Authentic Brands Group. This company is responsible for many brand and retailer acquisitions, including Forever 21, Reebok, Barneys New York and JCPenney.

This investment makes O‘Neal second in command regarding ownership of the brands mentioned above. He remains behind billionaire founder and CEO of Authentic Brands Group, Jamie Salter.

O’Neal has owned shares in Authentic Brands Group since 2015. It started when the company bought the rights to half of O’Neal’s name brand. After that, O’Neal decided to invest the money from that deal right back into Authentic Brands Group. This decision led O’Neal to become the second-largest individual shareholder in the company.

According to Jamie Salter, O’Neal reportedly told him:

“We’re going to build this company together.”

The two businessmen invested in each other, a gamble that has thus far paid off.

Salter has raved about O’Neal, saying:

“I don’t believe that ABG would be where we are today without Shaq, and I don’t believe that Shaquille O’Neal would be where it is today without ABG. So it really is something super special.”

Meanwhile, O’Neal has discussed his reasoning for the partnership.

“I wanted to partner with a company that could perhaps have my name go on forever," O'Neal said. "I met with a lot of companies, but when I met with Jamie and his family, I knew that this was the right place to be.”

Since investing in Authentic Brands Group, O’Neal has had a say in many investments. This say includes being the key voice in the company’s acquisition of Reebok.

O’Neal also became the "big and tall style ambassador" for JCPenney in 2018, appearing in multiple advertising campaigns. This campaign led to the development of his clothing line with JCPenney called “Shaquille O’Neal XLG.” The line launched in 2018 as a menswear brand for big and tall men. The brand offers over 60 products, including suits, shirts and other clothing accessories.

It’s clear Shaquille O’Neal is heavily invested in JCPenney and Authentic Brands Group.

How many businesses does Shaquille O’Neal own?

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O’Neal’s business investment portfolio is wide-ranging. According to O’Neal himself, he owns 50 different brands. O’Neal made this known during an episode of his reality TV show “Shaq Life."

“My real business is I own 50 brands," O'Neal said.

According to NBC Sports:

“O’Neal is the joint owner of 155 Five Guys Burgers restaurants, 17 Auntie Annie's Pretzels restaurants, 150 car washes, 40 24-hour fitness centers, a shopping center, a movie theater, and several Las Vegas nightclubs.”

O’Neal has also mentioned his many businesses on the “Earn Your Leisure” podcast:

"I don't like to seem like I'm bragging, but I'm going to ask you a question. Who owns Marilyn Monroe? Who owns Elvis Presley? Who owns Forever 21? Who owns JCPenney? Me!"