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Shaquille O'Neal Involved in $50 Billion TikTok Sale in the US, Competing with Elon Musk and Others as a Potential Buyer

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via Imago Sep 15, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal stands on the sidelines before a game between the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

If Shaquille O’Neal aims to continue his wild lipsync videos and push the envelope at music festivals, he should move quickly. TikTok is facing significant challenges, and devoted fans are hoping this won’t turn into another Twitter/X debacle. A worried comedian is urging the social media-savvy entrepreneur to step in and save the platform, possibly requiring some compromises on his part. After all, Adam Silver recently praised Shaq as an early tech adopter, highlighting his role in boosting the popularity of various platforms.

TikTok could effectively be banned this Sunday unless someone with a big bank account buys it. After taking over the erstwhile Twitter, Elon Musk is one of the potential buyers. Shark Tank’s Mr Wonderful Kevin O’Leary, former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, and YouTube legend, Mr Beast are the other names. Maybe barring Mr Wonderful, the frontrunners are not appealing to the TikTok generation.

Jordan Klepper addressed it on The Daily Show. The comedian is more than peeved about TikTok coming under someone who doesn’t understand the platform. “Can’t there be one, cool potential buyer?” Was the rhetoric question, then he turned to the camera like Jim on The Office and directly called out who that question was meant for.

Shaquille O’Neal, I’m talking to you. Stop buying so many Papa John’s franchises and get real about your investment future.” You heard him, Shaq.

Just a small clarification: Shaquille O'Neal isn't in the process of purchasing Papa John's franchises. He currently owns several and serves as a brand ambassador, promoting the Shaq-A-Roni pizza during certain seasons. Additionally, he has recently resigned from the Papa John's board.

Klepper definitely has the comedic chops, but the notion of Shaq owning TikTok is quite appealing. And it's easy to see why!

Shaquille O’Neal’s savvy technology ventures

Shaquille O’Neal is only a year younger than Elon Musk but Big Diesel totally appeals to that audience. He’s recently taken to ‘dad jokes’ he’s posting across YouTube Shorts, Instagram, and TikTok. He recaps his EDM performances in short form videos on every platform and posts his other funny skits on them.

Other than being a natural entertainer, O’Neal is smart about putting his money on their potential value. Adam Silver highlighted the big man’s knack when he appeared on The Big Podcast this week. “I don’t think Shaq gets enough credit for… he was an early adopter in terms of technology,” he said and credited Shaq’s whimsical move for creating NBA Twitterverse. Eventually, more users signed up after Shaq before Elon Musk bought it in 2022.

Shaq’s was one of the earliest investors in Google too in the late ’90s. He himself didn’t realize what a goldmine it was until he saw how much his money had grown. He similarly invested in the Shark Tank reject, Ring Doorbell right before Amazon bought it.

If billionaire O’Neal, worth $500 million, is considering purchasing TikTok, he would need to fork over approximately $40 to $50 billion. He typically keeps his business strategies under wraps (as seen with his unexpected return to Reebok in 2023). However, if Shaq were to acquire TikTok, it would undoubtedly become the go-to platform for Dad Jokes.