You might need to set the WayBack Machine for this one and travel back in time. Ever heard of the movie “Scarface?” It was a classic cops-vs-drug-dealer movie that came out way, way back in 1983. Yet no matter how far back it went, Shaq says the flick had some valuable advice he’s used in business over the years.
In the movie, main Bad Guy Tony Montana (played by the super-cool Al Pacino) talks about the importance of – as Montana puts it – “keep your friends close.” Now, it should also be noted that the famous line says in full, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer,” but it’s the first part that O’Neal focused on… good thing!
As we all know, Shaq is one of the most well-known, most recognizable hoops players of all time. After his retirement, he’s built a Shaq-sized business empire, and has also maintained a generous, helpful personal style.
No double that for any player at the level attained by O’Neal, life changes in a big way, and in lots of different ways, too. And like a lot of other players (in all sports), who have made it big, he decided on a mission to help his family and friends. But when it came to O’Neal’s way of helping… let’s just say it was a little different than most.
If you’ve followed any of the business-related posts about Shaq here on the blog, you know that he’s not the kind of entrepreneur who just puts up some cash and lets others do the work. He’s “in the trenches” of his businesses, making decisions, hiring teams, and as we’ve seen online and on TV, often appearing as a commercial spokesman for the businesses he owns and invests in.
For a lot of sports stars with big money contracts, there’s sometimes problems created with family and friends who expect to share in that wealth, simply due to their close relationship with the star.
On the other hand, Shaq seems to have avoided that issue, but he still has been able to help a lot of people. Perhaps it’s just some of Shaq’s own business drive and smarts rubbing off on those close to him. When the big man offered to help out in the business world, they saw the opportunity and grabbed the help.
Shaq put it this way, “Now, I admit, I have let some of my guys use me, somewhat, to get where they want to go in life. I’ve told them, “When it’s all over, it’s gonna be all over. You all are going to make a lot of money. You’re going to know some of the people I know and have great opportunities in life.” If they want to start up a business, I might help them. But by the time I retire (speaking of his time back in NBA days), they should all be set in a lot of ways. I don’t consider anyone in my crew hangers-on, people who just take things from you. There was an article in Sports Illustrated once that kind of made fun of them, calling them “The Men of Unclear Purpose.” It made it look like these cats were riding around with me, doing nothing with their lives.”
Shaq always wanted to build a business empire, and the main ingredient for success is surrounding yourself with people that you can first and foremost trust. Interestingly enough, Shaq said all the friends in his close crew have matching tattoos to prove loyalty and showcase they are all working for the same goal. He got that idea from watching the famous movie Scarface back when he was still in college.
Now, several years after his NBA career was over, Shaq is making more money from his business ventures than he ever did from the salary he made in the league. Shaq put his friends in charge of some of the business he helped finance, and it’s paying off big time for him and them as well.