Over the years, we have seen Shaquille O’Neal endorse several brands, including Papa John’s, IcyHot, and Frosted Flakes among others. There are still many of Shaq’s iconic commercials that people from the ’90s will remember. These fetch him a handsome amount, slowly boosting his net worth of $500 million. However, there seems to be a mistake in the terminology. 

When comedian Chico Bean asked Shaq how many endorsements he currently had, Shaq confirmed: “None,” in the latest segment of The Big Podcast. A closer look at O’Neal’s collaboration with these brands shows how Shaq is much more involved with the brands. 

If we look at O’Neal’s deal with Papa John’s, it has always been much more than simply endorsing the product. O’Neal was a member of Papa John’s board of directors and also owned a few outlets in Atlanta. Through his investment in Authentic Brands Group, he has stakes in JCPenney. Speaking of food chains, he also had a deal with Five Guys, in which he owned nearly 155 franchises.

ONeal was said to have been earning $60 million from his endorsement deals. But turns out these are partnership deals. So when Chico replaced the initial word with partnerships, Shaq quickly flaunted saying, “a lot,” with a slight smirk on his face.

Apart from owning a few franchises, Shaq also recently signed a partnership deal with Hershey’s for gummies, Shaq-a-licious. For this collaboration, O’Neal was not only involved in promotion but also in production. It seems like he might have renewed his deals with new partnerships sometime in the past as he has slowly transitioned from his playing career to business.

When choosing these strategic partnership deals, there’s just one thing that O’Neal looks for in the brand—and it’s not money.

What does Shaquille O’Neal look for in a brand

It’s not even about reputation. The only thing Shaquille O’Neal cares about is whether he enjoys being part of a company. When asked about how many partnership deals he has, O’Neal simply replied that he doesn’t count them. However, when asked about his favorite brand, he did have a few names. 

“Icy Hot has been good to me. Carnival’s been good to me. Papa John. Like I only do things that I enjoy. Like if I don’t enjoy your company, I probably won’t do the deal no matter how much money they offer me,” the Los Angeles Lakers legend said.

He has been involved with several companies and brands for quite some time, which is why he has such deep connections with brands like Papa John’s. Although he stepped down from his position on the board of directors, he hasn’t left the brand.

Another brand that he spoke about was Icyhot. This brand has been in the industry for over 50 years and is the top pain relief brand in the nation. After witnessing how the brand has efficiently created products that relieve muscle pain and strains, he became involved with it. To expand his business, he has also started investing in various tech companies and startups. He is also currently the president of basketball operations at Reebok. It can be said that O’Neal’s track record for choosing brands for collaboration has been flawless so far.