Sports / Shaq Endorsement Extravaganza Awaits New Celtic Shaq 'Marketing giant' heads to sports-mad Boston By Marie Morris, Newser Staff Posted Aug 6, 2010 12:53 PM CDT Copied Shaquille O'Neal poses with NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. at Concord Speedway in Concord, NC, as they film "Shaq VS," O'Neal's ABC reality series. (AP Photo/ABC, Travis Bell) Shaquille O'Neal will be paid the veteran minimum as a Celtic, but he probably won't have to worry about making ends meet—Boston businesses are already lining up to pitch endorsement deals, reports the Herald. "The minute I heard about him coming, I thought about the idea," says the owner of the serendipitously named Summer Shack restaurants. "It’s a great fit and a great idea." O'Neal's national deal with Comcast already has him all over the local airwaves, and his No. 36 jersey went on sale on the Celtics' website within a day of his signing. "Shaq is a marketing giant,” says a sports economist. “He will benefit from the Hub’s strong media presence, where there’s money to be made on local endorsements." (More Shaq stories.) Report an error