Shaquille O’Neal was one of the first few people who invested in Google. That is why his current net worth is $500 million. The Lakers legend has always been on top of his investments. His shrewd nature doesn’t stop him from limiting himself from investing in any particular field. Now, since AI has been making waves for some time, and the 4x NBA Champion has safeguarded his investment in that domain. So, it was not out of the blue when he was called to be a keynote speaker during a conference back in September.

For Zeta Global’s annual conference, the Big Aristotle was in attendance. In that event, former MLB star turned businessman Micah Johnson came with his invention. The creator of AKU shared the post on X. “Aku appeared at Zeta Global, to be seen with dreamers such as NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal, Olympic Gold Medalist Simone Biles, and Deepak Chopra. Zeta acquired a 5’ Dreamgazer sculpture to proudly display in their headquarters.”

As stated earlier, the Lakers legend joined Zeta Global CEO David Steinberg for the live session. In fact, the company’s 2024 event achieved record attendance with over 1,100 in-person attendees and more than 16,000 virtual registrations. Currently, as per Stock Analysis, the company is valued at $4.20 billion as of December 27, 2024. Its market cap has increased by 128.21% in one year!

The session was called, “AI-Powered Slam Dunk: The Business of Shaq.” Where he candidly discussed the transition from sports icon to multifaceted entrepreneur. However, recently on his podcast, the 3x Finals MVP refused to take the help of AI to get things right.

Shaquille O’Neal has difficulty in developing his ‘vocabulary’

We all know, the Lakers legend has acquired 4 degrees. A B.A. degree in General Studies (Minor in Political Science), Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix. Apart from this, he has also studied directing and cinematography at the New York Film Academy’s Filmmaking Conservatory. Not to forget a doctorate and an Ed.D. degree in Human Resource Development.

In March earlier this year, Shaquille O’Neal announced he would pursue another degree. This time master’s in sports psychology. But in the recent podcast episode, he stated, “School is killing me, by the way. You know why? It’s bad cuz I can’t write white…like I don’t have a big vocabulary.” His co-host, Adam Lefkoe, suggested using the thesaurus, which is a synonyms dictionary. But Shaq thought it was an AI tool.

“I don’t want to cheat. I know where you’re going; I don’t want to use chat GPT.” He continued explaining he would never cheat and would prefer to work hard. Although a funny misunderstanding, it reveals the reason for his empire, which stands at $500 million, and that is honesty and hard work.