“I’ve always been a businessman who is athletic.” That’s how Shaquille O’Neal described himself during a 2013 interview on CNBC. That label still fits: Shaq’s net worth tops $500 million. From getting a big payday with his rookie contract and now earning through his strategic investment, Shaq truly knows how to do things right. That’s why he offered a piece of advice as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s mega offer trends.

To those unaware, the OKC guard will be eligible for a whopping $380 million contract for 5 years. After leading the league in scoring and winning MVP honors, SGA will reportedly earn an annual salary of $76 million. The news is also trending because in February, the Canadian superstar split with his longtime agent Thad Foucher of the Wasserman Group and took the reins himself. So far, it proves the right move for Shai, but Shaq revealed how NBA owners actually view independent players.

Agents shape contracts and legacies—just ask LeBron with Rich Paul. Yet Shaq argues that savvy players can go it alone—and, surprisingly, team owners enjoy cutting out the middleman. “I think they enjoy it. Because you know, as your manager knows, to be in that business, you know one word can throw it off. One word you don’t know what you’re looking at, can throw off the contract.” The Lakers legend was in a conversation with Iconic Artist Russ.

Rapper Russ, himself an independent powerhouse, likened record labels to sports agents—handling promotion, negotiating deals, and structuring rights. Labels and agents both package talent—yet some stars bypass them entirely. Because he is an indie artist, the equation of NBA athletes doing business contracts without agents came to light.

Without an agent’s fine-print expertise, players risk slipping clauses into their deals. Owners know this and relish the leverage. To avoid this situation, Russ on the podcast suggested an alternative. “If you’re an NBA player, do you need the agent and the lawyer? Why can’t you just get a lawyer on hourly to read the contract?” Shaq co-signed on this thought as this would help the players save the agent fees and also make them aware of any clauses that might derail their income.

Shaquille O’Neal wanted Shai Gilgeous-Alexander before his move with rivals

The 4x NBA champion has been a longtime fan of the OKC guard. In fact, last year, he endorsed SGA to win the MVP award over eventual winner Nikola Jokic. It also led to a war of words between him and Shannon Sharpe. Shaq retaliated with the diss track ‘Shaqtin’ You Wrong.’ But it seems that appreciation for Shai was more of a business ploy as well.

Last year, SGA faced free agency on the sneaker front after running out of his Converse contract. That’s when Shaquille O’Neal wanted the 26-year-old part of the Reebok rebrand. In Netflix’s Power Moves trailer, Shaq said, “SGA, I heard his contract’s up.” Yet despite Shaq’s overt pitch in the six-part docuseries, Gilgeous-Alexander opted to double down on his existing partnership. Even the team member in the video reminded the Lakers legend about the Canadian star’s value to Converse. “He’s Converse’s premier guy.” And ultimately, Shai signed with Converse.

Instead, Shai inked a multi-year signature-shoe deal with Converse, becoming its Creative Director, and earning a rumored $15 million a year. So, for the past year, SGA has had multiple successes off the court, with or without agents. But Shaq warns it won’t be that easy for all since legalities are involved.