One small interaction or passing conversation can stick with entrepreneurs throughout their entire careers. For NBA legend Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal, that lesson came from his father—and he’s lived by it throughout his journey spanning sports, business, and philanthropy.
“My father was a drill sergeant, but he always told me to honor people. Treat people with kindness. Treat people that are less fortunate,” O’Neal recently said during the Milken Institute’s conference. “Make sure you can give them things, especially things that you don’t need.”
One moment in particular solidified O’Neal’s outlook for life. His dad had just earned some extra money from work and wanted to treat the budding sports legend to a meal at White Castle. They both ordered five double-cheese burgers each for themselves, but on the way home, they came across a man with a sign: “Homeless vet, will work for food.” Without thinking, O’Neal’s father takes three burgers out of his hands and gives them to the veteran.
“I asked him, I said, ‘Why’d you give the guy my food?’ He said, ‘Because this gentleman needed them more,’” the basketball legend recalled. “And then he ended it by saying, ‘If you ever become big time—I know you have a lot of dreams, aspirations—make sure you always look out for the little man.’”
Living by his father’s message through multimillion-dollar philanthropy and business
The multimillionaire has carried that philosophy throughout his three-decade career. Not only did he have a successful 19-season stint in the NBA from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Orlando Magic—winning four championship titles, and three consecutive NBA Finals MVP awards—but he’s also built a business empire and philanthropy portfolio worth many millions of dollars.
O’Neal has embodied his father’s philosophy in his far-reaching philanthropic efforts. Last year, he began work on a $24 million Shaquille O’Neal Youth Complex: a facility benefiting young communities in Southern Nevada. And in 2025, he also donated $20,000 in scholarships to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. Through The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, the basketball legend’s philanthropic foundation, he’s also able to provide support to underserved youth—from an annual holiday “Shaq-a-Claus” gifting initiative, to supplying grants to kid’s sports programs.
Meanwhile, O’Neal has also bolstered his spot in the “big time” through business; the 54-year-old has owned more than 150 car washes, over 40 fitness centers, 17 Auntie Anne’s Pretzels shops, and a major stake in Five Guys. In 2018, he even built his own franchise, Big Chicken, which has dozens of locations internationally. O’Neal is also the second largest shareholder of $20 billion Authentic Brands Group, which manages brands including Reebok, Champion, Sports Illustrated, and Forever 21.
The CEOs and celebrities who say it’s critical to pay it forward
O’Neal’s isn’t the only one that true success means helping others along the way. Just like his father, Law and Order SVU star Mariska Hargitay has taught her kids the same lesson—and that the universe looks kindly upon those who do good for others.
“When we’re on the street and someone drops something, I pick it up. If you stop for one second and do something, everyone is happy,” Hargitay told USA Today in a 2012 interview. “You pay it forward and it comes back to you twelve-fold.”
Hollywood icon Denzel Washington also echoed the same life lesson that O’Neal was taught by his father. The two-time Oscar winner, who has starred in movies including Training Day, Philadelphia, and Malcom X, also values paying it forward while hitting new career heights.
“At the end of the day, it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished. It’s about what you’ve done with those accomplishments,” Washington wrote in his book, A Hand To Guide Me. “It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.”
And billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, worth $37 billion, hasn’t shied away from her goals to shed her wealth for the betterment of others. The former Amazon employee and ex-wife of Jeff Bezos has donated more than $26 billion across 2,700 donations through her charitable vehicle Yield Giving foundation; that generosity has crowned her as the third most generous philanthropist in the world, having given away 46% of her net worth, according to an analysis from Forbes earlier this year. It’s all part of her plan to use her wealth to drive meaningful change.
“We each come by the gifts we have to offer by an infinite series of influences and lucky breaks we can never fully understand. In addition to whatever assets life has nurtured in me, I have a disproportionate amount of money to share,” Scott said in her letter to philanthropic campaign The Giving Pledge, adding her giving “Will take time and effort and care. But I won’t wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty.”
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com
