Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most successful athletes in the NBA in terms of on-court performance. He was a dominant force in the league ever since his arrival in the NBA and went on to team up with the Late Kobe Bryant. He won 4x NBA titles and is a 3x NBA Finals MVP. Shaq found success even after retiring from the NBA. Since O’Neal was one of the most marketable athletes, he carried out his business ventures long after retiring.
O’Neal has several endorsement deals and successful business ventures. He has invested his money and helped many brands, and has a strong portfolio of business involvement. One of his many partnerships is with one of the biggest food industries, Krispy Kreme. Despite numerous business ventures, one thing he likes to invest his money in is food items. Big Diesel has a knack for snacks and promotes them, even bringing them out of tough times.
Shaq is building a new Krispy Kreme on Ponce after the last location burned down. The new one will cost $1.4M to build. 🍩
There’s a temporary drive-thru at the site while construction gets underway. pic.twitter.com/XtALvhom83
— Everything Georgia (@GAFollowers) December 30, 2021
Back in 2021, Shaq was faced with some unfortunate news, about one of the outlets of Krispy Kreme in Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. The outlet was burned down by arsons in February and another time in July. The establishment was famous for providing 150 dozen doughnuts to people who came to attend Martin Luther King’s funeral in 1968. Shortly after the incident, Shaq decided to rebuild the site and was ready to fork out $1.4 million in expenses.
The brand new place would boast major characteristics of the previous outlet, along with the new design. However, the incident occurred at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, so the plans couldn’t advance further.
Does Shaquille O’Neal still own a Krispy Kreme outlet?
Shaq is one of Krispy Kreme’s biggest investors and also owns the outlet in Atlanta. He has been a long supporter of the franchise and the love for doughnuts. These are one of the few reasons, O’Neal is invested heavily in restoring the outlet in Ponce De Leon.