Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell & now Shaq! NBA legend O’Neal to pump ‘serious cash’ into Premier League club West Ham

Celebrity investors are becoming all the rage in British football, with famous faces joining boardrooms across the League pyramid. Hollywood stars Reynolds and Rob McElhenney made the biggest splash when acquiring Wrexham in 2021 – overseeing back-to-back promotions and the rise of an award-winning documentary series in North Wales.

NFL legends Tom Brady and JJ Watt are now involved at Birmingham and Burnley respectively, while Michael B Jordan is tied to Bournemouth and Anchorman actor Ferrell owns a small stake in Leeds. According to The Sun, basketball superstar O’Neal is ready to invest in West Ham.

O’Neal watched a Hammers game in 2023-24 and is said to have got the Premier League “bug”. A source has told The Sun: “Shaq loves British football and he has been talking about putting some serious cash into the club. He went to a game at the end of the season and loved it. It’s now a case of whether the financials stack up for him. Shaq is really interested in what deal he could strike.”

Shaq retired in 2011 having won for NBA Finals over the course of his 19-year Hall of Fame career. He has become a pundit and actor since then, but is seemingly ready to expand his business portfolio by owning a slice of east London outfit West Ham.