NBA Legend Shaq Says He Doesn’t Care If Women Only Like Him for His Money at First — ‘Once I Allow You Into My Space, I’ll Make You Like Me for Me’

Being rich comes with perks. Apparently, one of them is never having to wonder whether someone wants the man, the money or the combination meal.

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has built a fortune far beyond basketball, turning his larger-than-life personality into a business empire that has included restaurant franchises, investments, licensing deals and a long list of major brand endorsements. He has owned stakes in Papa Johns restaurants, built the Big Chicken brand and turned himself into something of a walking billboard who actually owns some of the businesses he’s promoting.

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So when "It’s Giving" podcast host Sarah Fontenot in 2025 asked him whether he thought women sometimes wanted to be with him because of his money, the question wasn’t exactly coming out of left field.

"Doesn’t matter why," Shaq said.

He explained that people are often attracted to someone for a particular reason at first, but that isn’t necessarily where the relationship ends.

"Everybody at first glance is liked for a particular reason," he said. "Now, when you bring them in, you make them like you for you."

Then came the very Shaq answer.

"I understand being Shaq has its privileges," he said.

And apparently, those privileges come with an audition process.

"Once I allow you into my space, I’ll make you like me for me. And if you pass all the tests, you can stay. If not…" he said.

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The Marriage Question Got a Little More Complicated

Fontenot then pointed out that nobody seemed to have passed the marriage test.

Shaq joked, saying plenty of people had.

He was married once, to Shaunie O’Neal. They married in 2002, separated in 2007, reconciled and ultimately divorced in 2011. Shaq has since spoken openly about regretting how he handled the marriage and described the loneliness that followed, including being alone in his enormous home after the divorce.

Anyone with substantial wealth can wonder whether new people are interested in them or in what comes attached to them. For athletes and celebrities, where fame and money arrive together, separating the two can be especially difficult.

Shaq’s solution seems fairly simple. Let people come into his world, then see what happens once the novelty, fame and money aren’t doing all the talking.

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And while most people aren’t dealing with a celebrity-sized fortune, building wealth can still mean creating income and assets that belong to them rather than relying entirely on a paycheck.

That’s where fractional real estate can enter the picture. Arrived lets investors purchase fractional shares of rental properties starting at $100, giving people a way to get exposure to real estate without buying an entire property or becoming a landlord. Depending on the investment, investors can potentially receive rental income and benefit from property appreciation. Returns aren’t guaranteed, and fees and other risks apply.

It isn’t Shaq money. It doesn’t need to be.

For someone trying to build a nest egg, the goal is to gradually own more assets, diversify income and create potential sources of passive income over time.

Because having people wonder whether they like the money is a very Shaq-sized problem.

For everyone else, the first goal is simply to have some money working hard enough that it eventually becomes a question worth asking.

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