Shaquille O’Neal has kept himself busy in retirement. In addition to becoming a staple of Inside the NBA, the big fella has dipped his toe into all sorts of off-court ventures, many of which include lucrative endorsement deals with popular commercial products and brands.
Icy Hot, Papa Johns, General Insurance, and Frosted Flakes are among some of the more visible brands Shaq has lent his voice and image to in recent years, as he has consistently kept his eye on diversifying his various revenue streams. He added Krispy Kreme to that growing list back in 2016.
But on Wednesday morning, tragedy struck the Atlanta-area location he owns when a massive fire broke out and caused significant damage to the historic building on Ponce de Leon Ave. Two employees were reportedly inside the store at the time but were able to get to safety without injury. Shaq later posted a video of the terrifying blaze on Instagram, along with a message of hope.
This particular store is a historic landmark, as one of the first Krispy Kremes to open up outside of the original locations in North Carolina. The store became famous for donating donuts to mourners at local churches on the day of Martin Luther King Jr.’s funeral.
