Inside the NBA analyst and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal recently gave Dallas Mavericks star Point Guard Luka Doncic contract extension advice ahead of Doncic’s new contract extension during the next offseason. O’Neal, 52, played for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. He is best known for his eight-year tenure with the Lakers, during which he helped LA win three NBA championships from 2001 to 2003. He also won an NBA championship — his fourth overall — with the Heat in 2006.
Doncic, 25, has yet to win an NBA championship with the Mavericks but is one of the NBA’s best players. Doncic’s contract extension could be worth up to $346 million. Doncic’s contract extension has sparked conversation in basketball, including from O’Neal himself. Here’s what you need to know.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Advice To Luka Doncic
Shaquille O’Neal recently appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” hosted by sports analyst and former NFL punter and kickoff specialist Pat McAfee. O’Neal has a great monetary mind, so he did something expected: give Luka Doncic some contract extension advice.
According to Sports Illustrated, O’Neal told McAfee, “Luka is about to get $100 million. If I was him … I would say, ‘Okay, just pay me $20 million this year and defer that $80 million, just defer it to when I’m done playing.’ Because you know that $80 million is not gonna be $80 million after taxes, just pay me $20 million, and the other $80 million after taxes just put it away. I don’t wanna see it till I’m 35.”
O’Neal’s advice to Doncic was reasonable, as 60% of NBA players face serious financial hardships after retirement, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI). The average career length for an NBA player is about 4.6 years and NBA players who trust the wrong financial advisors can invest in glamorous but unsound investments as they are conditioned to listen to people with superior knowledge.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Past Mistake
Shaquille O’Neal has already learned his lesson, and he passed on his experience to the next generation of NBA players. O’Neal’s past mistake was when he blew his first NBA contract — a $40 million deal with the Orlando Magic — in about 30 minutes in 1992.
O’Neal has been a business tycoon since then and has invested in various business opportunities and appeared in virtually any commercial available to him. Nowadays, O’Neal’s more selective with his investments and appearances, but has reportedly deferred some of the money, which are two things Luka Doncic can benefit from for both the short and long term.
Luka Doncic’s Potential Path
Luka Doncic’s potential path with the Dallas Mavericks and in the NBA can continue to trend upward — as Shaquille O’Neal’s contract extension experience can keep him on the straight-and-narrow financially.
The Mavericks are reportedly happy to hand Doncic over $100 million a year, as long as he stays on his current path. He has been named to five All-NBA First Teams and advanced to two Western Conference Finals, including an NBA Finals appearance this past season, in the last six years of his NBA career. His past can determine his future, which should include one or two NBA MVP awards.
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