Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson signing on to Reebok has benefited the business. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, O’Neal returned to Reebok in 2023 after walking away from a $40 million deal more than two decades earlier in 1998. He was appointed as Reebok’s president of basketball and has been “very” hands-on, he told Boardroom. “I do everything but nothing,” he said to the outlet. “True leaders don’t micromanage. If I’m gonna start a media company, I’ll call you. You do all the work, I proofread it, say yes or no, and we move on from there.” One of O’Neal’s strategic decisions was onboarding Angel Reese, who signed the company’s first major name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. Now in the WNBA, representing the Chicago Sky, Reese dropped her signature shoe line with Reebok on Sept. 18, under a multiyear contract extension, and it sold out within hours of launching, CBS Sports reports. This affirms O’Neal’s priorities when he joined Reebok. “It’s all about product, players, and...

Campus, a two-year accredited school backed by Shaquille O’Neal, has acquired an AI startup. Campus As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the school was founded by Tade Oyerinde and backed by more than $100 million from investors such as O’Neal, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Discord Founder Jason Citron, Figma Founder Dylan Field, Joe Lonsdale, Founders Fund, General Catalyst, and Bloomberg Beta . It features instruction led by part-time faculty from top-tier higher learning institutions such as Stanford University, Howard University, and Princeton University. According to its website, it offers various programs, such as an associate’s degree in business administration and information technology, as well as concentrations in applied AI. Additionally, students can earn diplomas in cosmetology, barbering, medical assisting, phlebotomy, and more. Students also won’t have to be as burdened with the costs of higher learning, which was Oyerinde’s intention from the start. “We did not want to add $1...

Shaquille O’Neal is embracing AI. The Hall of Famer and serial entrepreneur has always had an eye for tech. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, he was an early investor in Google. He also invested in Lyft and Ring, according to Vanity Fair. Now, he is taking a hands-on approach and is partnering with Fortune 500 company Carvana to launch an AI-powered assistant called the Shaqbot, per a press release. Carvana, which is designed for people to buy and sell used cars online, has sold and bought over 4 million vehicles, according to information shared by the company in October. The company caught the attention of O’Neal, who jokingly was looking to “take over Carvana and rebrand it to Shaqvana,” according to campaign information shared with AFROTECH™. “This is our middle ground,” Carvana said in a playful comment about the partnership. At Shaqvana.com, users can find O’Neal’s favorite vehicles using filters based on his preferences such as “fuel efficient daily drivers, roomy trucks, cars...

Shaquille O’Neal has extended a grand business offer to a young rising athlete. Nalah Barry isn’t your average 6-year-old. Marca notes that her father, Dominic Barry, was a professional boxer who is now teaching her the ropes. Barry is forging her path as a five-time boxing gold medalist with a gray belt in martial arts. She also has a strong fanbase online through her prominence on her father’s TikTok page. One video garnered 76.9 million views and 8.2 million likes. His account has 1.6 million followers (at the time of this writing). Barry’s journey was not overnight. In fact, she lost every tournament for the first six months of her career, Dominic revealed in a TikTok video. He also shared that despite that challenging time, she displayed toughness, grit, and a spirit of perseverance. “In the beginning, it was all about her heart. One day, she snapped. One day, everything started clicking. Actually, it was the training that we put in outside of jujitsu. She wanted to put more...

Shaquille O’Neal’s business portfolio inspires LSU athlete Flau’jae Johnson. O’Neal has positioned himself as the ultimate businessman. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the former Los Angeles Lakers player with four rings and $286.3 million in career earnings was an early investor in Google “by accident.” After running into a high-profile investor at the Four Seasons, he caught wind of the tech company, which now boasts a $2.29 trillion valuation per Companies Market Cap . Convinced of its potential, O’Neal moved forward with an investment in the company and later discovered in a newspaper that he hit the jackpot. “The newspaper told me how much I made and I couldn’t believe how much I made,” he said, according to TechCrunch. O’Neal’s portfolio also includes Big Chicken, a fast-casual restaurant chain with restaurants nationwide, and Authentic Brands Group, where he is its second-largest shareholder. The brand management company profits from not only O’Neal’s name and likeness but...

Shaquille O’Neal has settled the FTX investor lawsuit. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the former NBA player, who is now a serial entrepreneur, had been named alongside FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, Tom Brady, Stephen Curry, Naomi Osaka, and others, as defendants in an $11 billion class action lawsuit that was filed in Florida. The defendants had all been featured in FTX ads. For their involvement, they were being accused of promoting the cryptocurrency exchange, which ultimately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections and went defunct. The suit stated the defendants endorsed a “fraudulent scheme” that was “designed to take advantage of unsophisticated investors from across the country, who utilize mobile apps to make their investments.” O’Neal had attempted to distance himself from FTX. “People know I’m very, very honest,” O’Neal explained, according to CNBC’s Make it. “I have nothing to hide. If I was heavily involved, I would be at the forefront saying, ‘Hey.’ But I was...

Shaquille O’Neal has built a thriving post-NBA career, leveraging his larger-than-life personality and business acumen to secure major brand partnerships, media deals, and entrepreneurial ventures. From endorsements with major corporations to investments in various industries, O’Neal has cemented himself as a powerhouse beyond the court. Now, he’s extending his presence on television — O’Neal will be staying with TNT. According to Front Office Sports, the former basketball player turned sports commentator has secured an extension with the network that will earn him $15 million annually. The future of O’Neal and his “Inside the NBA” co-hosts, Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith, had been in question after it was announced that TNT lost its NBA media rights to Disney, NBC, and Amazon Prime Video. The three companies entered an 11-year media deal valued at $76 billion, which will take effect in the 2025-26 season, USA Today reports. “Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has...

After winning an NBA Championship, Shaquille O’Neal once turned down a deal with a major cereal brand. Back in 2001, O’Neal secured his second national championship alongside his Los Angeles Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant. O’Neal put up 29 points, leading the team to victory, according to the NBA. Unsurprisingly, offers were coming O’Neal’s way, including from Wheaties cereal. They had also reached out when he secured his first championship in 2000. However, O’Neal declined both times. He was more of a fan of its competitors, such as Frosted Flakes and Fruity Pebbles. “My people said, ‘Hey man, won’t you be on the cover of Wheaties.’ I said, ‘I can’t do that.’ They said, ‘What do you mean, brother? Breakfast of champions.’ I said, ‘Don’t know what it tastes like, never gonna taste it.’ ‘What do you mean?’ I said, ‘Well, Frosted Flakes will always be my first option if you want to talk cereal business with me and Fruit Loops, then Fruity Pebbles,” he said in an interview with The Wall...