jetset magazine jan feb issue tom zenner article with shaq

8/14/2019 Jetset Magazine Jan Feb Issue Tom Zenner Article with Shaq

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SHAQUILLE ONEAL is oneof the most dynamic, engaging,

funny, and downright dominating

athletes weve ever seen. Now in

Cleveland co-starring with Lebron

James, Shaq talks exclusively to

Jetset Magazine and goes public

about flying private.

Pound for pound and cubic square inch for

cubic square inch, there has never, ever been

a bigger sports star to walk this planet than

Shaquille ONeal. The first thing you notice

when meeting him is his mega-white smile that

could light up a runway on a dark, cloudy night

and enough boundless energy, determina-

tion, strength, and flat-out horsepower that, if

you could somehow harness it into a reusable

fuel, youd power a city the size of Seattle until

the next Ice Age. Hes an icon in high-tops,

a one-man brand and corporation that gets

to wear shorts and a tank top to work every

day. Globally recognized to the point that,

like Prince, Madonna, Bono, and Pele, only

one name is needed to describe the big fella:

Shaq. Plus, lets not forget, hes flat out a huge

man! A big part of his charm is, even though

he stands 7 feet tall, weighs somewhere

between 320 and 360 depending on the mood

of the scale that particular day, sports a size

22 shoe, and wears diamond stud earrings

the size of grapefruits, Shaq seems like hes

one of us. He enjoys interacting with people he

has just met. He treats everyone with respect

and dignity, whether its a fellow millionaire, a

billionaire team owner, the team trainer, beer

vendor, or the guys in charge of cleaning the

arena after a game.

Now starring in Cleveland on probably the finaljourney of his absolutely historic career, Shaq

is looking to add to his collection of bling, with a

fifth NBA Championship ring a definite possibil-

ity as he teams with Lebron James to form the

most lethal one-two punch of star power since,

well, sorry Sonny and Cher, Hall and Oates,

Siegfried and Roy, Brad and Angelina, Donny

and Marie, and Bogie and Bacallever.

There isnt much to say about Shaq that hasnt

been already chronicled, except for something

that everyone from high-profile corporate CEOs

of Fortune 500 empires to rap stars, actors,

accountants, Internet entrepreneurs, grandm

ers, gardeners, chefs, sheiks, senior VPs, se

citizens, and everyone else in between will

find fascinatinghow one of the worlds mos

recognizable stars travels when hes not play

ing basketball. Just how long hes been flying

private, what his favorite jets are, and how he

couldnt really do all he needs to during his shoff-season if not for the convenience of privat

jet travel. To be perfectly honest, though, the

thing I found most fascinating about Shaq du

the exclusive interview he granted for Jetset

Magazine is this: yeah, Shaq travels via priva

jet the majority of the time, but if you think you

see someone that looks like him going throug

the first-class security line at OHare, JFK, LA

or Cleveland-Hopkins International, you just

might be right. As we learned from the big ma

himself, if he has to fly commercial to get to a

appointment and theres no other alternative,

he will. I flew to Cleveland from Orlando whe

Cover story by Tom Zenner

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got traded (this past summer). I fit in a first-class seat, and believe it or

not, I fly commercial all the time.

What Shaq means by all the time is actually some of the time, because

most of the time, he and his entourage are parking at FBOs from coast

to coast and boarding planes that will shuttle him all over the world for his

various off-court responsibilities. For almost 20 years, Shaq has been one

of the sports worlds highest-paid celebrity endorsers. Its really easy to

see whats allowed him to create an empire. Hes one of the highest earn-

ing players in the NBA at about $20 million per season, and because hes

such a hard-working, committed businessman away from the court, hemakes more than that with his endorsement income each year. This past

summer he had a successful reality show on ABC called Shaq Vs that

pitted the big man in a series of challenges against other famous athletes

in their respective sports. They shot the show on location all over the

country, so to get there, Shaq had it written into his contract that he would

be flown by his favorite carrier, the one with which hes had a relationship

for years.

And lets just say when Shaq asks for a plane, he usually gets it. Hes

earned that type of clout from almost two decades of being one of the

most impactful pitchmen of products. Period. Packed in with his hall of

fame playing career is an entertainment career about which many celebri-

ties could only dream. He has released a total of five studio albums,

including his 1993 debut platinum, Shaq Diesel. His brand is stamped all

over popular culture across the past 20 years. His appearance as himself

on HBOs Curb Your Enthusiasm was one of the most-watched episodes

in the shows history. His first rap single, (I Know I Got) Skillz, was fea-

tured in the film Pineapple Express last year. Hes hosted Saturday Night

Live, played the lead role in three movies, appeared on or produced more

than a dozen reality shows, and still found time to win four NBA Champi-onships and is on pace to score in excess of 30,000 career points.

Hes banked hundreds of millions of dollars in his career, so its pretty

easy to see that, when a 7-foot superstar asks for a private plane, he

gets one.

Of course, his day job keeps him busy from October to June, and when

the Cavaliers fly around the country they do it on the teams customized

Boeing 737. Can you imagine the pressure on the pilots of that plane,

knowing that with Shaq and Lebron on board, they are transferring some

of the most precious cargo imaginable around the country 41 nights

a year?

From Gulfstreams to Boeing Business Jets, Cessnas, and Lears, Shaqhas flown on the very best there is in private air travel. But he told Jetset

during a recent West Coast road trip that, hands down, he has a personal

favorite form of transportation for his business meetings and the excur-

sions he takes. The Hawker 800 is the best, Shaq told us.

Its what Shaq revealed next in our exclusive interview that makes it

really clear what separates a true legend from a prima donna flash in

the pan. Somehow, despite the enormity of his body of accomplishments

as an athlete, entertainer, and businessman, Shaq has an almost

magical quality of connecting with everybody. He absolutely loves kids

and gravitates to them in every setting. While he could be an utterly

insufferable pain in the you know what if he wanted, that is not who Shaq

is at his core. Lets face it, in the world of A-list superstars, the egos

involved sometimes have their own zip code and solar system they a

large, but Shaq has a way of keeping it real. Private jet travel for Shaq

an absolute necessitybut when we asked him if he ever desired to

his own plane, he responded quickly. No, I dont think so. Theres too

much maintenance. If I own something, I like to know what is going on

dont want to get screwed in a bad deal. Ive seen it happen to

other guys.

If he wanted, he could buy himself a new Hawker for every day of the

week and use it for a paperweight, but owning a jet isnt something he

feels he needs to measure himself against other great athletes. Believus, its one way some stars use to keep score. Yeah, some guys do,

Shaq told Jetset. But I dont do that. Im a man of the people.

He is, which is why, despite having his favorite FBOs around the coun

tryMy personal top three are Orlando, Miami, and Van Nuys near L

Angeles, Shaq told usyou dont have to do a double take if you tho

you were sitting next to him on a first-class flight. It is possible, and its

what makes Shaq so bankable, marketable, and loveable to the mass

the companies he represents in his endorsements, the TV networks,

his fans. In the summer time I fly private a lot, but usually because a

comes up at the last minute or while Im on vacation, Shaq told Jetse

If someone calls me Monday and they need to meet Friday, I dont fly

private, but meetings come up all the time and someone will call and

we need to meet tomorrow, and then Ill say OK, send a plane, Shaexplained.

So the Man of Steel deep down is a Man of the People. Hes one of th

greatest sports icons of our generation, a dominant athlete with an en

ing personality, and someone whos lived life to the fullest on and off

the court.

As we learned talking to Shaq in this exclusive interview with Jetset

Magazine, and of course from what weve witnessed with the rest of t

world the last 20 years, there are very few things he hasnt done or ha

yet to accomplish. Well, except for one. You see, while the Man of the

People flies hundreds of hours a year privately, he will do whatever it

takes to carry out his responsibilities, even if that means cramming int

a commercial first-class seat. His kids, however, at this point are prettyused to the trappings of exclusive private jet travel provided by having

father like Shaquille ONeal. My kids have flown commercial, but they

private better, of course. They like the 727 that I get when we go on v

tion. It has a bed in the back and a playroom. They really like that.

And the big kid at heart we know and love as Shaquille ONeal is no

doubt back there with them, laughing, rough-housing, playing, and

being utterly unique and entertaining like he always is.

Apollo Jets is who Im with. I used them for my Shaq Vstravel as well. I try to use Apollo whenever I can, but whenI have business meetings and I need to be in another city,

Ill ask them to send a plane,

- Shaq told Jetset.

jetset magazine jan feb issue tom zenner article with shaq

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