Shaquille O'Neal has got to be one of the most prominent ex-NBA players turned entrepreneur in the history of the game. Shaq has investments in all sorts of business ventures, which also include no less than 17 Auntie Anne's Pretzels stores. Well, not anymore.
As it turns out, the Hall of Fame big man decided to sell off all his Auntie Anne's franchises. In a recent interview on the Earn Your Leisure podcast, the Los Angeles Lakers icon revealed the hilarious reason why he decided to do so (h/t Keka Araujo of BET):
“You know we love pizza. I sold my Auntie Anne’s. Because Black people don’t like pretzels that much. So I had to switch it up,” he said.
The way Shaq delivered his statement may be hilarious, but there's actually a lot of business sense in what he said. It is clear that his primary target market is the African American demographic, which according to him, doesn't really like pretzels very much.
Regardless of how he might present himself, the fact is that Shaq is a very intelligent man, especially when it comes to his own money. His decision to sell off his Auntie Anne's stores was not a knee-jerk reaction. I'm pretty sure he had the numbers to back up this big-money move.
For what it's worth, Shaq is also the proud owner of nine Papa John's franchises, while also holding a seat on the corporation's Board of Directors. He knows how much Black people love pizza, so he deemed it was a wise move to reallocate his investment to a more profitable venture.
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