Lakers Legend Shaquille O’Neal Shares Exciting Career News

Shaquille O’Neal is adding another chapter to a post-playing career that already includes television, business deals, music and a long list of endorsements.

The former Los Angeles Lakers center has signed on as a global ambassador for NordVPN, the digital security company announced Monday. The deal is slated to last more than a year and centers on a campaign called “Go big on your online protection.”

O’Neal will help promote awareness of scams, phishing and other online threats. He also is scheduled to headline a live NordVPN event in New York later this fall.

A promotional video featuring the Hall of Famer already circulated through a collaboration between his Instagram account and the company.

“I only work with people and brands I believe in, and NordVPN is serious about helping people stay protected online,” O’Neal said in the company’s announcement.

He expanded on that thought in additional comments released with the partnership.

“Everybody is online every day, but a lot of people still think cybersecurity is too complicated or that it doesn’t apply to them. NordVPN makes it easier to understand, and I can help make sure people pay attention. We are a strong team.”

NordVPN chief marketing officer Toma Sabaliauskienė said the company wanted a recognizable face who could make the topic feel approachable.

“We’ve evolved into a comprehensive online security suite, and Shaq was the obvious fit to help spread the message,” she said. “He brings a unique blend of strength, trust, and relatable humor to the table, supporting the idea that world-class cybersecurity doesn’t have to be intimidating.”

The company pointed to the volume of threats its tools encounter. NordVPN’s next-generation antivirus scans 12 million unique URLs every day and blocks an average of 130,000 malicious pages. In the first half of 2026, the company said it blocked almost five million malware attempts in the United States alone.

O’Neal framed the work in simple terms.

“I tell my family the same thing I tell everybody: don’t make it easy for the bad guys. Scams are getting harder to spot, so you have to stay alert and think before you click.”

The timing of the announcement also includes travel tied to the brand’s Lithuanian roots. O’Neal is expected in Vilnius later this month for a press conference, then plans to attend Zalgiris Kaunas’ EuroLeague home opener against Olympiacos on Sept. 29.

None of that changes the fact that Lakers fans still treat almost any O’Neal news as Lakers news. Los Angeles signed him as a free agent in 1996. He spent eight seasons with the franchise and teamed with Kobe Bryant for three straight NBA championships from 2000 through 2002.

O’Neal was named Finals MVP in each of those title runs. His 1999-2000 season remains one of the most dominant in franchise history. He averaged 29.7 points and 13.6 rebounds, won the scoring title and captured the league MVP award before the Lakers won the championship.

Across 19 NBA seasons he played 1,207 games and averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 58.2 percent from the field. He won four championships in all, made 15 All-Star teams and entered the Hall of Fame in 2016. The Lakers retired his No. 34 in 2013.

That playing career ended more than a decade ago. The second act has not. O’Neal has stayed in front of cameras as an analyst, built a long string of commercial partnerships and kept adding titles — entrepreneur, producer, DJ — to a résumé that already looked crowded.

Brand deals are familiar territory for him. What stands out this time is the subject matter. Cybersecurity is not sneakers or fast food. It is a pitch about phishing emails, malicious links and the kind of quiet digital risk most people ignore until something goes wrong.

For a player who once treated the paint like personal property, the message is consistent with the rest of his public life: show up big, keep it simple and do not pretend the threat is someone else’s problem.

The New York event this fall will give the campaign a live stage. Until then, the partnership is another reminder that O’Neal has little interest in disappearing from public view.