Shaquille O'Neal leaving a podcast studio stunned usually has something to do with his humor, a bold take, or a reminder of what he used to do to people in the paint. Every now and then, though, basketball has nothing to do with it.
O'Neal has always had a feel for business. He's made smart moves with his money, and one of them didn't just pay off for him. It paid off for the people around him, too. That came up during an appearance on " Drink Champs ," where he shared one particular move that left the hosts caught off guard.
N.O.R.E. was especially impressed, saying , "That's f—ing genius."
Success hits different when you share it instead of keeping it. For O'Neal, that wasn't just a line. It shaped how he handled his money, and it wasn't something he learned at Louisiana State University.
As he explained on "Drink Champs," it actually came from a guidebook. Something along the lines of a "Dummies" guide to starting a business, said O'Neal.
The exact title, as it turns out, is " Starting a Business All-in-One for Dummies " by Eric Tyson.
The title itself isn't really the point, though. What actually matters is what the NBA legend did after reading it.
As he recalled, the first step was incorporating himself — Shaq Inc. Then he brought his family into the picture.
That meant putting both of his parents on the payroll. They had real roles, offices and a car. More importantly, O'Neal gave them salaries that provided real financial security.
"How much you made in the army? 'Only make $60,000.' Now you make $500,000 a year. Mom, how much you wanna make? You make $750,000 a year," he said.
At first glance, you might think O'Neal could have just wired the money to his parents and left it at that, especially with a net worth of around $500 million. The intent would have been the same. But the way he chose to do it is where it shifts from generous to calculated.
By putting his parents on the payroll, their salaries counted as legitimate expenses. That lowered O'Neal's taxable income. That's why it worked.
"Instead of giving it to the IRS," DJ EFN said, "you're giving it to your family. That way you can write it off."
There was a stunned reaction in the studio, and it's indeed a clever use of the system. Still, moves like that show how differently money works once you have enough of it.
It can also feel a little frustrating.
For someone like O'Neal, the taxes he would have otherwise paid would have been nothing more than peanuts. That said, he didn't really need to go that far.
Still, O'Neal stayed within the rules. He understood the system and used it to his advantage. You have to give the Los Angeles Lakers legend credit for that. Furthermore, in his case, it actually led to what he called the best day of his life.
That day, he told his parents what they would be earning at his company. Those were numbers they had never imagined, and, as O'Neal recalled, they were proud of him at that moment.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
