📈 What Shaq taught us about Investing: Buy What You Know
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Why did Shaquille O'Neal sprint out of Best Buy to install a doorbell and how does that relate to investing?
Yetys, Nick and Jack here from the T-Boy Studio. We're on vacation still, so we are testing out our new series and giving you a sneak peek all week long.
This is a soft launch, so let us know what you think in the comments.
Because this fall, we're gonna do a hard launch on YouTube, but right now your feedback's a gift, drop it in the comments. Alright, let's hit episode two of Cha-Chain. Let's go. Why did Shaquille O'Neal sprint out of a Best Buy to install a doorbell in his home? Oh, and what does that have to do with investing?
Everything. Because one day the world's biggest basketball star needed a security camera. He bought a ring doorbell at Best Buy and screwed it in himself.
Ah, but here's the key. Shaq was so impressed by that ring doorbell, he tracked down the founder of Ring at a convention just to invest in his startup.
What Shaq just did there, it's a famous financial philosophy, and it's how you should start your investing journey. Yes, it is. And it's why he's now worth $500 million, making more money off the court than on it.
Because Besties, the first step in investing is this: buy what you know. That strategy not only is embraced by Shaq, but also by the portfolio manager of the world's most successful mutual fund.
But buy what you know, does not mean you should buy Starbucks stock because you customize Vente double-digit lattes every day. So we'll break down the difference in this video.
Because this is the best ching yeah, where we reveal the money secrets of the world's most famous stars.
And
today it's what Shaq taught us about how to start investing.
What is the ‘buy what you know’ investing philosophy and why does Shaq follow it?
Jack decided to slip into some 22 size sneaks. Four-time NBA champ, three-time NBA finals MVP, one gold medal, and 28,596 points. Oh, and yeah, the size 22 shoes for the 15-inch long foot.
The only thing Shaq has done is drain three free throws in a rock. Trust us, he'd agree on that one. But Shaquille O'Neal is also the NBA's Renaissance man. True. Because he's a DJ, a licensed cop, and a collector of rare Japanese koi fish. Dude got snubbed by the Oscars for his role in Kazam, by the way. Most of all, he may be the NBA's best investor.
That's right, because Shaq collected two hundred and ninety-two million dollars in NBA salary over his basketball career and made big money as a TNT commentator and celebrity endorser, too.
But his stock investments have been prolific. Talk to me, Jack. And Shaq's number one investing rule before he writes a check is that he must be a customer. Right. He doesn't turn to others for hot stock tips. He creates his own stock picks based on what he tries out and becomes obsessed with. And
it's not just that ring doorbell we mentioned a couple minutes ago,
which became a huge gain for Shaq when Amazon bought.
Ring for a billion dollars. How about beatbox, the viral boxed wine that we called the drink of the summer back in 2024? When Shaq was DJing sets as his alter ego, DJ Diesel, he noticed Beatbox was sold out everywhere he played. And if those Music Fest fans were the early adopters, then he wanted to get in early too.
How did Shaq turn a Ring doorbell purchase into a billion‑dollar exit?
So he reached out to Mark Cuban, who invested on Shark Tank, and Mark's endorsement sealed the deal. Shaq became their biggest celebrity investor. And when
When Beatbox sold to Anheiser Bush in 2026, but it's not just private companies and startups. True. Shaq has made some moves on publicly traded stocks that you could invest into, like Papa John's. Shaq, bring us back to Shaq in college. Shaq in college, Shaq's number one food source was Papa John's XL pizza with extra pepperoni.
He was protein maxing before maxing was maxing Jack.
Same through his 20s and 30s. Shaq was pounding Papa John's delivery at hotels when he was on the road with the magic battling the rocks. He got Carval over the playoffs, man. So in 2017, when controversy forced the Papa himself, founder and CEO John Schnatter to step down, Shaq stepped up. He proactively reached out to Papa John's management to invest in the company. He bought a 30% stake and nine Atlanta stores. He also joined the board and filled
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
Why did Shaquille O'Neal sprint out of Best Buy to install a doorbell and how does that relate to investing?
0:00–1:18
2
What is the ‘buy what you know’ investing philosophy and why does Shaq follow it?
1:18–2:39
3
How did Shaq turn a Ring doorbell purchase into a billion‑dollar exit?
2:39–3:55
4
What other celebrity investments (Beatbox, Papa John’s, Five Guys) illustrate Shaq’s strategy?
3:55–5:05
5
How does Peter Lynch’s ‘invest in what you know’ approach mirror Shaq’s tactics?
5:05–6:41
6
What practical steps can listeners take to apply the ‘buy what you know’ method to their own portfolios?
6:41–8:01
7
How can you use personal spending data and earnings‑call transcripts to find investment ideas?
8:01–9:19
8
What are the key takeaways and warnings from Shaq’s investment successes and failures?
9:19–10:36
Speakers
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