Shaquille O’Neal is not only one of the greatest big men to ever take the basketball court. He’s also done quite well for himself in his post-NBA career, particularly when it comes to his non-basketball business ventures. 

The fact that O’Neal’s business portfolio is now estimated to be worth more than half a billion dollars is a clear testament to this fact. 

O’Neal is adamant, however, that he would not have established his empire had it not been for his mentors. His biggest one is NBA legend and billionaire Junior Bridgeman, who tragically passed away on Tuesday at the age of 71 due to a heart attack. 

O’Neal opened up about the tragedy on NBA on TNT’s pregame show as the four-time NBA champion expressed how much Bridgeman’s loss hurt him. 

“This one really hit hard for me,” O’Neal admitted. “A lot of people don’t know this but I’ve patterned my whole business acumen after Junior Bridgeman.  

“He was definitely a dear friend. I got the news at home and I had to sit down for a while. I actually forgot that we had to work. That’s why I was kind of running late… This one hurts a lot.”

O’Neal also revealed how Bridgeman was always very open to sharing his best business practices with him and how the latter never gate-keeped. According to the Hall of Fame center, he would not have known where to start had it not been for Bridgeman’s help.  

Junior Bridgeman at the Hermitage Grand Gala Derby Eve Party at Hermitage Farm in Goshen, Ky.

© Brian Bohannon / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bridgeman played 12 years in the NBA between 1975 and 1987. He played 10 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and two years with the Los Angeles Clippers. 

After retiring, the East Chicago, Indiana native invested in food chains and ended up owning over a hundred Wendy’s and Chili’s restaurants. He also ventured into sports media, became a bottler for Coca-Cola and was a minority owner of the Bucks, among other things. 

In 2016, Bridgeman was ranked as the fourth-wealthiest retired athlete in the world by Forbes behind only Michael Jordan, David Beckham and Arnold Palmer.

He reportedly had a net worth of $1.4 billion, making him one of the wealthiest former professional athletes in the world.