Shaquille O'Neal Stuns NBA World With Surprise $100 Million Venture—What It Means for Fans

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal is back in the headlines this week after a pair of high-profile appearances kept the 15-time All-Star trending across social platforms and search engines alike. During a Wednesday segment of his podcast, “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” the four-time champion called the WNBA’s average salary “unacceptable,” arguing that women players deserve a bigger share of basketball’s billion-dollar economy. O’Neal repeated a suggestion he first floated in 2021—that lowering the rim to nine feet could create more dunks and highlight plays, thereby boosting ticket sales, ratings and, ultimately, paychecks for WNBA athletes. While some fans praised the logic, others blasted the idea as sexist, igniting a furious debate that has dominated NBA Twitter for 48 hours and counting. Shaq simultaneously found himself trending for sunnier reasons. On Friday he donned his trademark captain’s hat in the Bahamas to christen Celebration Key, Carnival Cruise Line’s $500 million private-island resort. As Carnival’s long-time “Chief Fun Officer,” O’Neal led media tours of the lagoon, posed for selfies with guests and promised that the destination “will define what a family vacation looks like in the 2030s.” The ceremony featured Junkanoo dancers, a fireworks finale and a surprise dunk contest on a floating court—complete with a regulation-height rim, a wink at the week’s rim-lowering controversy. The dual storylines underscore the 7-foot-1 entrepreneur’s outsize footprint beyond basketball. Forbes estimates Shaq’s 2025 net worth at roughly $500 million, fueled by equity stakes in Papa John’s, Authentic Brands Group, a fast-growing chain of Big Chicken restaurants and more than 100 car-wash franchises nationwide. His Shaquille O’Neal Foundation has also installed six “Comebaq Courts” in underserved communities this year, with the latest ribbon-cutting taking place in northeast Texas on Monday. Public reaction to O’Neal’s WNBA comments may determine whether his marketing empire grows or stumbles. Sports-marketing analysts point out that brand partners increasingly weigh social sentiment when renewing celebrity deals. Yet Shaq’s strategic mix of philanthropy, viral sound bites and high-visibility activations like Celebration Key often turns controversy into extra clicks—then into cash. For the next week, expect the seven-footer to remain a fixture in search results as debate over the WNBA’s pay gap collides with sun-splashed images from the Bahamas launch event. Love him or hate him, Shaquille O’Neal’s knack for staying culturally relevant—on court, on cruises or on a microphone—continues to generate the kind of buzz that advertisers crave and fans can’t ignore.