After making his mark in the basketball world as the most dominant player ever, Shaquille O'Neal has been embarking on establishing himself as a business magnate. En route to this journey, he has received some key advice from none other than Jeff Bezos and his former coach, Phil Jackson.

Speaking with Andy Frye of Forbes, O'Neal admitted that when he started investing, it was all for the purpose of gaining more money. It became a problem for Shaq as he would invest in a company only if “it sounded good.” But then, once he met Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, O'Neal's business mindset changed for the better.

“Then, later, when I started going to CES in Vegas, I met a young, beautiful man by the name of Jeff Bezos. And with all the (business ventures) going fully online, he explained what the future holds. And he said that he invests in things that are going to change peoples’ lives. And I said, you know what, I’m gonna start doing that. And when I did that, every time I invest in something it works.

So, I don’t always think about just the money, but instead “is this going to help people in their lives?”

Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal's head coach when he won three titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, taught the big man to think positive and always think of maximizing one's potential. O'Neal also learned not to make hasty decisions but to wait for it to pan out.

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Photo: Boban Marjanovic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shaquille O’Neal

Derick Quinanola ·

“Phil would talk about waiting to see what happens and then reacting to it. And he always talked about facing the moment of truth. And when you face the moment of truth, then you act.”

O'Neal definitely has had great mentors both in his basketball and business careers. And he's definitely putting these connections into good use.