And I want to do it the right way, like everybody else, not just a famous figurehead that gets a job because he is a famous basketball player. I want to really learn the business.

O’Neal is pushing back against the “celebrity shortcut” narrative: the idea that a star can step into an executive or business role on name recognition alone. He frames legitimacy as something earned through apprenticeship—learning operations, decision-making, and the unglamorous details—rather than granted through fame. The quote also signals a desire for peer-level respect (“like everybody else”) and a long-term identity beyond athletic performance. In a broader cultural sense, it reflects anxieties about token leadership and the difference between being a brand ambassador and being a competent professional within an industry.