The former NBA superstar is regarded as one of the best players to ever step on a basketball court.

However, one of the lesser known aspects of his celebrated career is his stint as a businessman with several successful ventures.

The 50-year-old former professional basketball player who currently works as an analyst for the show “Inside the NBA” is reported to be the second highest individual shareholder of Authentic Brands Group, the company behind dozens of brand and retailer acquisitions including Forever 21, Barneys New York, Reebok and JCPenney.

The ex-NBA superstar commonly known across the world as “Shaq” has invested in a lot of brands and partnerships that have contributed to his current net worth of $400million – one of the most relevant of which is his association with departmental store company JCPenney, which Shaq has often been rumoured to hold a major stake of ownership.

Are the rumours true about Shaq?

Confirming the rumours, O’Neal holds the second highest amount of shares in the American departmental store chain which makes him the number two in the ownership hierarchy chain of the brand concerned.

The NBA superstar turned entrepreneur also has a collaboration with the departmental chain which was launched in 2018, as JCPenney launched “Shaquille O’Neal XLG”, a big and tall menswear brand formed in association with the four-time NBA champion.

“Shaquille O’Neal XLG” hosts a curated range of over 60 pieces including suits, shirts and accessories, with sizes going up to 64 in apparel and 4XL in belts. The collection features both modern and classic apparel, but also includes performance features such as stretch fabrics, stretch collars and cooling technology.

O’Neal became the exclusive big and tall style ambassador for JCPenney in early 2018, and featured in several print, broadcasting and digital campaigns for the retail chain before launching the aforementioned collaboration later that year.

Four years on, Shaq is the second man from the top in the hierarchy chain of the brand, and is often rumoured to own the brand altogether – a rumour that has a pretty strong base and actually stands true to an extent.

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