Shaquille O’Neal is “unlike most athletes whose stars dim in retirement,” as his visibility "has only grown," according to HBO’s Bryant Gumbel. O'Neal has followed a “smart business plan that has proven quite lucrative.” HBO’s Bernard Goldberg noted O'Neal's involvement with brands include Gold Bond, Icy Hot and Oreo, among others. Goldberg: “He used to be Shaquille O’Neal, the basketball player. Now he’s Shaquille O’Neal, the brand.” O'Neal said his brand is “all about fun” and that he wants to make people laugh. Goldberg said O'Neal pushes his own branded products “when he’s not selling other people’s stuff.” Though O'Neal earned almost $300M during his basketball career, it “looks like he’ll make a lot more not playing basketball.” O'Neal hosts a “yearly Shaq summit in Atlanta, where he strategizes with CEOs and sales reps” for products he endorses. Goldberg said O'Neal makes a lot of money endorsing products, and he “very often takes a piece of that paycheck and invests it in the company.” Most products O'Neal endorses are aimed at middle-class Americans, which he says is because of his mother, who said, “There’s more middle class than there is spoiled, rich brats like you, Shaq” ("Real Sports," HBO, 3/27).
