One time, Shaquille O’Neal had 40 24-Hour Fitness gyms, 150 car washes, 155 Five Guys Burger & Fries, nine Papa John’s, 17 Auntie Anne’s pretzels, and a few Krispy Kreme restaurants. This excludes his own franchise, Big Chicken. The $500 million worth NBA icon continues to make strides in the corporate world with his Shaq-a-licious partnership from last year to his recent venture with BeatBox Beverages.

Currently, the company is valued at over $200 million, and it was Shaq’s friend Mark Cuban who first invested in the company. A decade ago, BeatBox Beverages on Shark Tank was able to scale its business to an enormous level. But did you know this isn’t the Lakers legend’s first entry into the Alcohol industry? Let’s analyze how different it is from the recent investment and if the previous partnership is still up and about.

Shaquille O’Neal and his failed venture

It was in 2012 when the 4x NBA champion created his own liquor brand, “Luv Shaq,” in partnership with Devotion Vodka. Right after his retirement, Big Aristotle found his new venture apart from the TNT gig as an analyst. As per the reports from Slam, the Vodka was sugar- and gluten-free and it was in coconut flavor, which featured the image of O’Neal with giant wings.”Drew Adelman, founder of Devotion Vodka, which is producing Shaq’s sauce, tells us it will directly compete with Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Ciroc, but at a ‘more competitive price.’”

Ciroc is a brand of alcoholic beverages owned by the British-based multinational alcoholic beverage maker Diageo. It has been produced in France since 2003 and includes vodka, flavored products containing vodka, and brandy. As of March 14, 2025, Diageo’s market cap, or net worth, is approximately $59.91 billion. It is the world’s largest manufacturer of premium alcoholic beverages, including brands like Baileys, Smirnoff, and Johnnie Walker.

Most importantly, since November 21, 2000, Diageo’s market cap has increased from $25.82 billion to $59.91 billion, a total increase of 132.04%. Maybe that is the reason why Shaquille O’Neal’s partnership with Devotion Vodka did not come to fruition. Currently, there are no products available, which means either the particular Shaq flavor was shut down, or it was never produced from the beginning.

That is why the partnership with BeatBox Beverages and the launch of an exclusive “BeatBox Blueberry Lemonade” marks 12 years after the first announcement of the vodka brand.

The Lakers legend and his new investment

It all started when he first tried BeatBox on one of his shows. Intrigued, he later found out his longtime friend Cuban was already involved. That’s when he picked up the phone.“So I called him and said, hey, Mark, I’d like to meet with some people from BeatBox. You know, we talked about a partnership. And, you know, I’ve always tried to get at the beginning of companies, you know, to help them grow,” Shaq shared on The Pat McAfee Show.

Even after the latest announcement, the Big Aristotle has already mapped out the plans for the future growth of his new investment. “We just want to continue to grow. We just got off the phone call with Walmart, and we’re getting ready to start a brand new partnership with them. You know, it’s just about growing. You know, just about getting the word out. We dominate the festivals.”

Even the numbers are in favor of Shaq and his latest venture. As per reports, BeatBox is now available in a whopping 107,000 retail locations across all 50 U.S. states. Plus, the sales skyrocketed in 2024, averaging a 129% weekly increase—despite only reaching 3.9% of U.S. households. That’s why, according to NIQ Scan data, the brand is responsible for 22% of the RTD (ready-to-drink) category’s growth. This is the reason why the Co-Founder & CMO at BeatBox felt Shaquille O’Neal was the right fit for the company.

“Shaquille O’Neal is everything BeatBox stands for as a company. At our core, we both care deeply about bringing people together and creating fun and memorable moments,” said Brad Schultz. “From the start, Shaq recognized that BeatBox is more than a drink – it’s a party movement. His passion for music, sports, entertainment and live events make this partnership a perfect fit, and together, we’ve crafted a bold flavor that embodies the excitement and energy of our brand and fans.”

With XL gummies named Shaq-a-licious last year and now BeatBox, Shaq is focusing and strategizing on increasing his current wealth of $500 million. In this process, he has even taken steps to revitalize and restructure even his favorite Big Chicken. They have signed with Craveworthy Brands, who will be the managing partner, investor, and stakeholder of Big Chicken going forward. Definitely an exciting time for Shaq and his investments.