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Billionaire Jeff Bezos “Scared” Shaquille O’Neal Away from Huge $2.5 Billion Purchase That Could’ve Put Him Alongside Michael Jordan

Published 11/14/2022, 4:30 PM EST

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Before the start of the NBA season, the 2021 finalists, Phoenix Suns took a major hit. Their owner, Robert Sarver was thumped with a one-year suspension and a $10 million fine because of alleged immoral behavior towards the team employees. Sarver would later announce his decision to sell the team. Subsequently, big names lined up to take over the ownership of the reputed franchise. One of the rumored people in the race was NBA legend, Shaquille O’Neal. However, one single man shattered his dream of joining Michael Jordan to be the second former NBA player to own a team in the league.

After a successful NBA career, Shaq has grown his business empire to a staggering $400 million. The TNT analyst also had expressed his willingness to own an NBA team one day. Shaq’s eyes initially fell on his draft team, the Orlando Magic. However, with the opportunity opening up, the four-time champion had an early ticket to join Michael Jordan as an owner. That was until he saw the competition.

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During a session of his Big Podcast, Shaq revealed how just one man, Jeff Bezos made him quit the race for the Phoenix Suns. Notably, Shaq also admitted that the Amazon owner scared him.

Why Shaquille O’Neal won’t join Michael Jordan as an NBA owner

Jeff Bezos is one of the richest men in the entire world. With a net worth of almost $140 billion, the creator of Amazon has one of the fattest vaults. Likewise, just his name was enough to scare Shaquille O’Neal away. As soon as the Big Diesel learned Bezos had joined the race, he decided to take a step back. Shaq knew he couldn’t compete with Bezos in the pursuit of the Phoenix Suns. Hence, the Los Angeles Lakers legend cleverly removed his name from the list of potential buyers for the $2.5 billion franchise.

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The four-time NBA champion said: “As far as trying to own a whole team by myself, and go up against him? Let me tell you something: I’m scared of Big Man JB. Shaq O’Neal is scared of Big Man JB.

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Jeff Bezos isn’t the only mega-billionaire who is hunting down the Suns. Even Disney CEO Bob Iger is looking to make a bid for Shaq’s former team. Other high-profile bidders include Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and businesswoman Laurene Powell Jobs. Currently valued at $1.8 billion, the estimated price tag of the Suns could reach a whopping $4 billion. Shaquille O’Neal probably can’t make his dream come alive alone. However, there is a chance that the Big Diesel can partner up with one of these high-profile bidders and fulfill his ownership dream.

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Watch This Story: Shaquille O’Neal’s bizarre pre-game ritual from his magic days

Do you think Shaq will ever join Michael Jordan as an NBA franchise owner? Let us know your views in the comments below.

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar

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Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a student studying at NM College in Mumbai, aspiring to pursue sports management to follow his love for sports. Anuj started following the NBA last year, and he loves to combine his passion for writing with his understanding of basketball.
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Edited by:

Satagni Sikder