When Shaquille O’Neal first entered the league, he knew that he wanted to ensure that his parents were set for life.

During a recent interview, O’Neal discussed how “‘The Dummies’ Guide to Starting Your Own Business” book provided him with information on how to handle his money back then.

Thus, when he was signed in 1992, one of the first steps that he took was to launch ‘Shaq’ as a brand.

Next, he put his parents on his payroll.

At the time, Shaq’s stepfather, Phillip Harrison, was making $60,000 per year. O’ Neal offered to pay Harrison more than eight times his salary as his stepfather had been in the Army.

He also set his mother up for wealth by providing her with a $750,000 salary.

“…I got em’ a office and got em’ a car. They were so proud. Cause the best day of my life was when I got drafted…. he wanted to stay on the Army base. ‘Like nah, come with me.,” Shaq said. ‘Now, you making half a million a year,’ Shaq told Harrison. ‘What?’ his stepfather said in return and began to cry. He then said that he questioned his mother, “Mom, how much you wanna make you make?” He then told her, “You make $750,000 a year, ” Shaq added.

O’Neal only asked for one thing in return: he would have to teach them the business, as well. This isn’t surprising as Shaq sees the importance of education as it is the way to leading people to managing their finances effectively.

To add, Shaq earned an online MBA from the University of Phoenix and paid for 15 of his friends to obtain their degrees, too.

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