Shaquille O’Neal may be sitting on a fortune, but he has made it clear his children won’t be seeing any of it without putting in the work first.

Shaq tore through the league for nearly two decades, winning four rings and hauling in almost $300 million in pure NBA paychecks. But the playing days were really just the tip of the iceberg.

Between backing Google early, previously owning dozens of franchises like Papa John’s and Five Guys, and pitching everything from Icy Hot to The General, he turned himself into a $500 million enterprise.

These days, he isn’t slowing down either, still cracking jokes on Inside the NBA, headlining music festivals as DJ Diesel, pushing his Big Chicken chain, and running the basketball side of Reebok.

Shaquille O’Neal reveals plans for his fortune

Shaquille O’Neal might be sitting on millions, but nobody is getting an easy ride. He’s told his kids if they want to touch a dime of that fortune, they have to hit the books and earn multiple degrees first.

Talking on Youtube, he said: “They were mad at me for a while because I put out a statement that says, ‘We’re not rich, I’m rich.’ So, you know, I try to make them work for it. The girls have to work a little easier, but the guys, I just try to make them work for it. And I finally opened up the books for them. I said, ‘Hey, when something happens to me, this is what you get. They’re stipulations.’

“I have a master’s and I have a bachelor’s. So if you want to touch the cheese, you got to have two or three degrees. But, you know, I just, you know, as a parent, you just want there to be something. I preach to them early. We don’t need another basketball player.

“And when you got nine children, that’s nine different things. And I also try to explain to them that, you know, your father’s very successful and your mother’s.

“But I’m at the point to where you tell me what you want to do, I’m sure I know somebody in that field. You know, you want to do a podcast, I know a lot of producers. You want to do movies, I can call anybody in Hollywood. So I just want them to be something. I just want them to be productive. I just want them to be educated. So as a father of nine, I have that.”

Shaquille O’Neal is a father to six, and every one of them is carving their own lane.

Taahirah works in corporate marketing, while his eldest son, Myles, has made a name for himself as a DJ, model, and music artist. Shareef and Amirah both played college hoops, with Shareef taking a run at pro ball before stepping into creative brand work, and Amirah shifting into entrepreneurship.

Meanwhile, Shaqir hooped through college and took home the 2026 College Slam Dunk Championship, while the youngest, Me’Arah, is playing for the Kentucky Wildcats.