His name is Shaquille O’Neal, but that doesn’t mean he’s just opening his wallet whenever his children ask for money. 

Instead, O’Neal practices what he says is “respectable nepotism” to ensure they have advantages when working toward success.

According to Insider, the former NBA player’s kids are required to draft up a business plan before approaching him to fund a dream or goal they have in mind.

His Philosophy

“Since you want me to be the bank, I’m gonna do exactly what the bank is going to do to you,” said O’Neal, explaining his thought process behind the initiative. “I’m not just gonna give you money for a party.”

The former Los Angeles Laker and father of six, whose kids range from ages 17 to 27, tells the outlet that the investment theory began with his eldest son, Myles, who previously expressed interest in launching a career as a deejay. 

“I said, ‘Alright, I’ll help you get the equipment,’” Shaquille explained. “And he’s killing it.”

A Proud Father Of Six

Not only has Myles held a Las Vegas residency during his career, but he has toured with some of the biggest acts in electronic music as well as headlined shows across the nation.

Shaquille even boasts about his son’s accomplishments, calling him “one of the top DJs in the world.”

“And he’s done it by himself,” he said, according to the outlet. “I’m proud of him.”

His oldest daughter, Taahirah, has completed college and is currently finding her way to a career in corporate communications.

Shaquille’s son Shareef followed in his father’s footsteps, playing college basketball at University of California, Los Angeles, and his dad’s alma mater, Louisiana State University. Now, he plays for the NBA G League.

At this time, Shaquille says his three other children, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah are currently still in school and “haven’t really pitched anything.” He’s currently holding out hope that he’ll be able to “bribe” his daughters into pursuing something beyond their bachelor’s degrees.

“I’m like, ‘If you go to law school and graduate, you get a big bag,’” Shaquille joked. “Because out of my six, they’re the smartest; they’re the ones that are probably gonna run the company.”

He continued: “So I’m trying to bribe all of them like, ‘Hey, just go to law school for me and I’ll give you whatever you want.’”