“40 Million People Lost Their Jobs”: Shaquille O’Neal, Who Is Donating $1 for Each Papa Johns Pizza Sold, Left Distressed by Recent Crisis

Shaquille O’Neal had an incredible NBA career in which he won four championships. After huge success on the court, he became an investor with a diverse portfolio. Shaq’s current net worth is around $400 million, thanks to his successful business ventures. However, he has been involved in several philanthropic activities in the past and continues to give back to the community. Shaq is widely known for his kindness to help the ones in need. One of his most famous charitable works involves donating a dollar for every Papa John’s Pizza sold.

Shaquille O’Neal has found a lot of success off the court since his retirement. He invested in nine Papa John’s restaurants and became a member of their Board of Directors. The franchise has turned itself around since then and is now among the fastest-growing pizza chains in the United States.

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Despite finding so much success in the business world, Shaq hasn’t failed to give back to society. Papa John’s recently brought back the Shaq-a-Roni pizza till Christmas. For every pizza sold till Christmas, they will donate $1 to the Papa John’s Foundation. Shaq recently talked about this move from Papa John’s and discussed helping those in need.

Shaquille O’Neal discusses the recent COVID crisis and his motives for helping those in need

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal recently appeared on NBC News Now. During the show, he was asked about his motives for helping those in need.

“Well, my mother raised me the right way. I was told to be generous and always help those in need. And Shaq-a-roni is a true fan favorite. Kudos to Papa John’s for doing big things for the community,” Shaq said.

The host then asked Shaq what it feels for him to turn into a ‘big philanthropist’ after playing basketball in the NBA.

To this, Shaq replied: “I just like making people smile. The one thing that hurt me during COVID was to see 40 million lost their jobs. I said to myself, I definitely want to help parents out. Help those in need, especially the communities in Baton Rouge, LA, Las Vegas. Just trying to do all I can to help those who need it.”

Shaq has earned a big reputation among the NBA circles for helping those in need. The Shaq-a-roni pizza has raised $6.6 million in the last two years. The raised amount goes towards fighting hunger and reducing food waste.

Shaq signed a three-year extension with Papa John’s

It has been more than three years since Shaq invested in the pizza-chain franchise. His investments and ideas have helped the franchise to grow. Earlier this year, Shaq signed a three-year contract extension with Papa John’s worth $11 million. Shaq will reportedly receive $5.625 million over the next three years.

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The former Los Angeles Lakers great also has an opportunity to earn more if people buy more Shaq-a-roni pizzas. But that would also mean more donations to a noble cause. He has also received $5.6 million worth of stocks from the company as a part of the extension.

What do you think of the Shaq-a-roni and the Big Aristotle’s philanthropic efforts? Let us know in the comments below.