NBA basketball is big money.
Now basketball isn't a huge sport over here since we have so much else going on but it's one that i have always loved.
I've only seen a handful of NBA games on TV since the times don't line up which is another problem but i've watched hundreds of college games, played a little myself and always enjoyed the pace and power of the game.
Even among non fans the name Shaq rings a bell as he is such a big character in life and in the sporting world. I enjoy his commentary and lifestyle as he doesn't take himself seriously at all.
He looks and acts like the big friendly giant also starring in dozens of ads and movies.
- The lego movie
- The house bunny
- When in Rome
- Freddy got fingered.
- The princess bride.
- Space Jam
Among many many others.
He just seems like a great sports personality but he was also an unbelievable athlete. Probably being 7"1 and 325 pounds was a bit of an advantage but there are lots of big guys out there and very few of them have done what Shaq has.
Power moves.
This is a show that popped up on my Netflix this week and ties in two of my loves. Sport and Business. I know for a fact that Shaq has huge business interests and have seen some of his investing stats which are insane.
Shaquille O'Neal has built a diverse investment portfolio since retiring from the NBA, leveraging his business acumen across various industries. His investments include:
Technology: Early investments in Google (Alphabet Inc.), Apple, Lyft, Ring (acquired by Amazon for $1 billion), and Vitaminwater showcase his success in tech ventures.
Franchises: He has owned or invested in numerous franchises, including 155 Five Guys restaurants (sold in 2016), nine Papa John’s locations, a Krispy Kreme in Atlanta, 17 Auntie Anne’s Pretzels (some sold), and his own Big Chicken fast-food chain. He also owns about 150 car washes and has been involved with 40 24-Hour Fitness centers.
Other Ventures: His portfolio extends to Las Vegas nightclubs, a cinema, a strip mall, and stakes in companies like JCPenney and Reebok. He is also a co-founder of Astrals and Steady, and a co-owner of NRG Esports and Authentic Brands Group.
Education and Startups: He invested in Campus, an online community college startup, and has made angel investments in companies like Edsoma, aligning with his philosophy of backing life-changing ventures.
Much of his strategy is inspired by investing in businesses he believes in, a principle he credits to Jeff Bezos. For exact details on his holdings or returns, specific figures are not publicly disclosed.
So when I see a show that puts Shaq as the new head of Reebok with Allen Iverson as his VP, I said it would be worth a binge.
Knowing his business success I wanted to see how he would go about turning an ageing dynasty back into a leading contender.
Taking a business that he was personally involved in and starting again from the bottom.
It's an interesting insight into the sprting world where millions are thrown at athletes with every deal and in basketball it's even filtered down into high school and college's from the NBA in the hope of getting top talents early.
Shaq is using this as his main strategy since as a smaller business compared to Adidas and Nike he is hoping to find talent early and built the brand on top of them as they grow and develop into bigger stars along the way.
If you can't beat them in a head on fight then you need to go around them. Finding interesting prospects early and putting your weight behind developing them over a long period of time instead of pumping huge money into established names.
We can see this in teams across multiple sports where smaller teams fight smarter and see a lot more success instead of just pouring money at a problem.
There could even be a lesson here for our community about competing with the current heavyweights and build differently.
It's only 7 episodes long but moves fast and gives a good sense of how he operates in business and in life.
I fully enjoyed it and watched over just a few days while the business side also sucked me in. Sports and business are two very fascinating areas to follow so combining both makes for good tv.