Although their father may be worth $400 million, the kids of Shaquille O’Neal should not expect any handouts from him anytime soon. The former NBA star is determined to have his kids earn their way rather than allow them to depend on him for a helping hand.
Shaquille O’Neal Doesn’t Want Spoiled Kids
Shaquille O’Neal is convinced that not handing out money to his grown kids is for their own good, despite them not understanding his reasoning at all times. Shaq is a dad of six, having five kids with his ex-wife Shauni and one with Arnetta Yardbourgh. However, they can’t expect to share their dad’s millions just like that.
During a podcast in 2021, Shaq stated that his kids are now older and kind of upset with him because they don’t understand. He also said he tells them all the time, “We ain’t rich. I’m rich.” According to him, they have to get Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees before asking him to invest in one of their companies. They would also have to present it properly, and then he would decide if it was worth it. Otherwise, he wasn’t going to give them anything.
Shaq Wants His Kids to Be Educated
Shaquille O’Neal said he had one rule for his kids, and that was to focus on their education. He pointed out how he didn’t care if they would play basketball because he would prefer them to be doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, or people who own multiple businesses and could take over his. In an interview the following year, Shaq was not ruling out sharing his wealth, but he still pointed out how the bar was pretty high for his kids if they wanted to get their hands on the cash.
One other reason why Shaq is reluctant to just share his riches may be his discomfort with being a celebrity. In one interview, he pointed out how celebrities were going crazy, and he didn’t want to be one, so he denounced his celebrity-ness that day, saying he was done with it.