Shaq reveals the secret Jeff Bezos told him to become a millionaire

It is known that Shaquille O’Neal has accumulated a lot of wealth since his days as a basketball player, which has been a difficult thing for many athletes after they retire from the NBA. However, the Hall of Famer has kept himself busy in broadcasting, advertising and investing in the world of sports.

In a recent interview, the former Lakers star revealed a business secret he learned from billionaire Jeff Bezos, which he used to continue building his million-dollar empire. In fact, back in March he took the Amazon founder’s advice and invested in Campus, an online community college startup.

Shaq spoke to Fortune about his latest investment decision and explained how he thinks Campus can continue to “change people’s lives” for the better, something he believes Bezos is using as inspiration when considering where to put his property. money.

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“I heard Jeff Bezos say, if you invest in things that will change people’s lives, you will always get a good return on your investment,” said O’Neal. “But this investment is not about a good return because I feel that everyone should have access to a world-class education.”

However, it wasn’t the first time that Jeff influenced Shaq’s business decisions, as in 2022 the former athlete revealed that he abandoned the idea of ​​making a bid to buy the Phoenix Suns after learning that Amazon’s owner was interested in making a bid. for the franchise.

The sports commentator admitted that he didn’t want to compete with any of the other “heavy hitters” interested in the Arizona club. “Jeff said he wanted it, and the other hard hitters said they wanted it. I won’t even put my name in the bucket on this one. I’m not,” he said months before Matt Ishbia finally bought an NBA team.

For Shaq, now it’s about changing lives. “If something comes across my desk and I don’t believe in it, I don’t even look at it,” he said back in 2019. “When I start doing that trick, I think I probably quadruple what I’m worth.”

The Hall of Famer recently sparked controversy when he called Rudy Gobert the “worst player ever,” despite the French athlete’s undeniable success.

It doesn’t matter that Rudy Gobert has been awarded the Defensive Player of the Year award three different times and continues to be considered one of the Timberwolves’ top stars heading into the 2024-25 campaign, he is still recognized by many of his peers and even NBA Hall of Famers. That is why the French center did not inform that Shaquille O’Neal called him the worst player of all time.

That’s why Rudy decided to speak his mind on social media. “It’s sad to see a person who has achieved so much like you @SHAQ in sports and business is still being sung by someone else’s money.”

“I get the fun part but unlike other people, you don’t need those things to stay relevant,” Gobert wrote. Although many have labeled his response as “shooting back” in Lakers history, the truth is that his comments seemed calm and composed, trying not to hurt Shaq, but still putting him in his place.

Many fans and pundits say Gobert is over the top, but no one has gone so far as to compare him to the worst players to ever compete in the league. It all started when O’Neal recently went on a podcast with his son, Myles O’Neal, of Complex.