REVEALED: The Reason Why Lakers Legend Shaquille O’Neal Continues to Do ‘The General’ Insurance Commercials

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the best centers we have seen in basketball history. His elite play netted him an almost unanimous MVP trophy and three finals MVP trophies. This also made him a rich man, as he signed some massive contracts during his peak. But despite all the wealth that he has, Shaq mysteriously insists on doing commercials for The General, reportedly a low-brow car insurance company.

Matt Eisman revealed why Shaq does the General Commercials on Bert Kreischer’s podcast. He said, “I was interviewing Shaquille O’Neal, so I got to spend the day with him. We go to a hospital to visit all these kids who are in just unthinkable situations. One of the kids asked Shaq ‘why do you do those awful ads with the General?’ Shaq said, ‘because when I was broke and didn’t have a penny, they gave me insurance’.”

He explained that loyalty was the reason why Shaq chose to do those ads. “I am loyal to anybody who’s loyal to me. That was the company that gave me insurance when I was broke, so that is the company I’m going to do ads for because a lot of people are in those situations”.

Shaquille O’Neal and his businesses

Shaq is quite a business-savvy person. He hasn’t rested on his laurels from his playing career and actively explores business opportunities to set himself up for full-time retirement. Shaq was one of the early stock buyers for massive companies like Google and Apple, buying stocks for them in the 90s while he was still active in the league. Outside of that, he has made investments in food brands like Five Guys Burger and Fries, Krispy Kreme Donuts, and Pizza Hut.

Shaq owns an estimate of 155 Five Guys restaurants, 12 restaurants of Auntie Anne’s (pretzel chain), 150 car washes, and forty 24-hour fitness centers. He is also a part of the board of directors at Papa John’s Pizza and is their brand ambassador. Shaq’s crowning investment has to be in his role as a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings, a team he once hilariously mocked in an interview during a playoff series.