Shaquille O’Neal’s six kids ‘upset’ he won’t share $500m fortune

He’s worth more than half a billion dollars, but Shaquille O’Neal isn’t giving money to his six children – and he admits they’re not happy.

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal believes in working hard for your money — even when it comes to his six kids.

The Basketball Hall of Famer, during an appearance on the Earn Your Leisure podcast, said his kids don’t get a free pass just because their dad is rich and famous.

“My kids are older now. They kinda upset with me. Not really upset, but they don’t understand,” said O’Neal, who recently retired his celebrity status in an interview with The New York Post. “I tell them all the time. We ain’t rich. I’m rich.”

Shaquille O’Neal: “We ain’t rich. I’m rich.” Picture: Getty

O’Neal is estimated to have a net worth of more than $500 million. His playing days over, he’s an analyst on TNT’s Inside the NBA and has a reported 50 different endorsement deals including Gold Bond, Reebok, Pepsi and The General.

There’s also multiple US dining ventures like Papa John’s, Big Chicken and Shaquille’s.

Shaq to his kids: “We ain’t rich, I’m rich.”

Teaching them work ethic. 💪

pic.twitter.com/RbCNgkL5BV

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 27, 2021

The four-time NBA champion went on to reveal the standards his kids must uphold if they want a piece of the O’Neal money pie.

“You gotta have bachelor’s or master’s (degrees) and then if you want me to invest in one of your companies, you’re going to have to present it, boom boom boom, bring it to me,” he said.

“I’ll let you know, I’m not giving you nothing.”

While O’Neal admittedly sees an entrepreneurial spirit in his children, he wants them to “figure it out” on their own.

Shaq’s money message to his kids is simple: “You gotta earn it.” Picture: Getty

“There’s one rule: education. I don’t care if you play basketball. I don’t care about none of that,” he said.

“Listen, I got six kids. I would like a doctor, somebody to own a hedge fund, a pharmacist, a lawyer, someone that owns multiple businesses, someone to take over my business. But I tell them I’m not going to hand it to you. You gotta earn it.”

In September, O’Neal, who grew up poor in Newark, New Jersey, opened up about his humble beginnings in an interview with The Post.

“I came from nothing,” he said. “But, just because I made it doesn’t mean I’m bigger than you, smarter than you — just because I have more money doesn’t mean I’m better than you.

“I’ve never been that way and I never will be that way.”

This story originally appeared on The New York Post and is republished here with permission.