Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal is one of those sporting personalities that has become known as much for his huge array of product endorsements as he is for his freak-of-nature abilities on the courts. He’s been the face behind everything from Pepsi and Taco Bell, to a soup line that includes the awesomely named Shaq-A-Roni ‘n Meatballs and Shaq ‘n Cheese.

But despite having a stake in just about every possible business venture, hotshot Shaquille recently revealed his biggest corporate regret was a deal (or lack thereof) involving the most ubiquitous coffee shop in world. O’Neal says he turned down an offer to work with Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz because he didn’t want to a promote a product he wasn’t interested in.

“Growing up, in my household, I’d never seen a black person drink coffee. So it was my thought process that black people didn’t drink coffee,” he told sports reporter Graham Bensinger in a recent interview.

The Shaq says that at the time, he was determined to only involve himself with products he truly believed in- and he just didn’t believe in the hot caffeinated beverage.

“I looked at the great Howard Schultz’s face and said, ‘Black people don’t drink coffee, sir, I don’t think it’s gonna work.’” he says.

It’s been a costly decision for the former NBA-pro, with the coffee shop now worth billions. However it’s hard to feel sorry for the Shaq-Attack for too long, with the baller’s net-worth estimated to sit somewhere between the hefty figures of $250, 000, 000 – $350, 000, 000.

You can check out some of Shaquille’s other business ventures in the gallery above- including some hilarious 90s TV commercials that suggest Shaq could have a promising future in acting, should the business interests fizzle out.

Juliet Mentor

More sports
Shaq Down – the video game
Sports journo mistakes Drake for Craig David
A New Sports Drink- Beer!