Shaq and 50 Cent joining forces for bid on BET

According to TMZ, 50 Cent went to Paramount's offices with Kenya Barris -- the creator of the TV show "Black-ish" -- to discuss buying Black Entertainment Television, which Paramount's parent company Viacom acquired in 2019. They have one other big investor: NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal.

While Diddy and Tyler Perry are also reportedly preparing their own bids for BET, O’Neal knows the value of teamwork. Whether it’s Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade or Ernie, Kenny and Chuck, Shaq has always been at his most successful with a strong team around him.

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has been a wildly successful TV producer, selling 25 shows across nine separate networks (including all the shows in the “Power” extended universe). For his part, Barris has two spin-offs of “Blackish” on television, as well as the “White Men Can’t Jump” remake and a re-imagined “Wizard Of Oz” coming down the pipeline.

And O’Neal has been part of 12 Emmy-winning seasons of “Inside The NBA." Among his other media ventures, the documentary series “Shaq” is currently streaming on HBO Max, while “Shaq Life” has had two seasons on TNT. The Diesel has also made some shrewd investments, getting in early on Google, Ring and Vitamin Water -- though he missed out on a big one.

Perhaps Vitamin Water's success convinced 50 Cent to partner again with O'Neal. 50 Cent reportedly earned more than $100 million when the company sold, which was a likely windfall for The Big Filtered Water as well. 

While O'Neal tends to focus on franchise businesses -- he owns over 150 car washes, 40 24-Hour Fitness centers, 17 Auntie Anne's Pretzels, nine Papa John's restaurants (he's also on their board), Charles Barkley's favorite Atlanta Krispy Kreme and at one point 10 percent of Five Guys -- he is a picky investor and has told HBO's "Real Sports" he only invests if he personally likes a product.

Shaq has been involved in entertainment and television for decades, so BET seems like a natural fit. And if the deal goes through, perhaps we will finally get the long-awaited buddy comedy featuring Shaq and his good friend and insurance provider, The General.