By Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Sports journalist
Considered one of the best basketball players in history, Shaquille O’Neal later proved to be also brilliant as an entrepreneur. However, he admits today to not having received as much as people might think in the NBA.
On paper, the recipe seems quite simple: shine on the floors and your banker will come away satisfied. The NBA’s economic system rewards its best players and has always done so. As such, it is not surprising that Shaquille O’Neal was one of the highest paid players in the league for most of his career. Enough to ensure a nice retirement which he is enjoying today.
The unfortunate discovery of Shaquille O’Neal when joining the Lakers
While still under his rookie contract with the Magic, O’Neal already had one of the 10 highest salaries in the NBA in 1995-96. His arrival on the free agent market at the end of this season therefore provoked a bidding war won by the Lakers. An episode on which the glorious pivot returned in his Big Podcast with one of his guests, NFL quarterback and Orlando fan Kirk Cousins:
Kirk Cousins : The fact that we weren’t able to offer you the contract you needed to stay in Orlando is stuck in my throat. We could have kept you there a lot longer.
Shaquille O’Neal : I know. I know.
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Compassionate towards his interlocutor, Shaq could nevertheless not harbor regrets regarding this decision. After all, this allowed him to sign a contract for seven years and 120 million dollars, an enormous sum for the time. However, it turns out that the amount he ultimately received turned out to be much less attractive, which still seems to frustrate him today:
Kirk Cousins : Being from West Michigan, like the family that owns the (Magic) franchise…Such an investment would have involved some sort of sacrifice. It’s kind of like selling the farm and Shaq knows it.
Shaquille O’Neal : But you know what annoys me the most about this contract? People think I made what, 120 million? In reality, I only hit 60.
Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Diesel discovered that the taxes applied in California are much higher than those in Florida. Taking this data into account, the Magic could have offered him a salary lower than the Lakers’ 120 million without it changing his final income. Enough to offer another reading of this file which was so controversial at the time of the events.
When he signed his contract at $120 million in 1996, Shaquille O’Neal didn’t seem to realize that he would only receive half that amount. Not sure, however, that he has reason to regret this choice which brought him three championship rings.
2024-04-08 20:00:00
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