Papa John's Pizza Names Shaquille O'Neal To Its Board Of Directors

Shaquille O'Neal has signed on to pitch pizza-chain Papa John's hard-hit brand. The former professional basketball center and NBA Hall of Famer is also joining the troubled pizza chain as a member of its board of directors and as an investor in nine Papa

Friday, March 22nd 2019, 5:28 pm

By: News 9

Papa John's Pizza Names Shaquille O'Neal To Its Board Of Directors

"Shaquille has an excellent entrepreneurial background, including as a restaurant franchise owner," Jeff Smith, chairman of the Papa John's board, said in the company's announcement. Smith is CEO of Starboard Value, an activist fund that recently invested $200 million in Papa John's, while placing him at its board's helm.

O'Neal owns a Krispy Kreme doughnut franchise in Atlanta, as well as Big Chicken, a fast-casual restaurant in Las Vegas, and Shaquille's, a fine-dining restaurant in Los Angeles.

undefined

Papa John's this month settled a lengthy legal feud with its controversial founder, John Schnatter, whose use of a racial slur during a conference call led to scandal that battered the brand's image and worsened its sales slide.

"Papa John's is building a better culture, and I want to be a part of improving the company from the inside out," O'Neal said in a statement.

Papa John's stock price was up 6% Friday morning to almost $50 a share, although still down from a high of $87 at the end of 2016.

First published on March 22, 2019 / 10:36 AM

undefined

\"Papa John's is building a better culture, and I want to be a part of improving the company from the inside out,\" O'Neal said in a statement.

Papa John's stock price was up 6% Friday morning to almost $50 a share, although still down from a high of $87 at the end of 2016.

First published on March 22, 2019 / 10:36 AM

","published":"2019-03-22T22:28:37.000Z","updated":"2019-03-22T22:37:39.000Z","summary":"Shaquille O'Neal has signed on to pitch pizza-chain Papa John's hard-hit brand. The former professional basketball center and NBA Hall of Famer is also joining the troubled pizza chain as a member of its board of directors and as an investor in nine Papa","affiliate":{"_id":"5cc353fe1c9d440000d3b70f","callSign":"kwtv","origin":"https://www.news9.com"},"contentClass":"news","createdAt":"2020-01-31T19:11:09.260Z","updatedAt":"2025-03-24T18:33:26.730Z","__v":14,"breakingNews":[],"entities":[{"_id":"624220286880e45323ac7dc4","text":"Shaquille O'Neal","type":"PERSON","__v":0},{"_id":"62421d256880e45323a73b0e","text":"Jeff Smith","type":"PERSON","__v":0},{"_id":"624224b46880e45323b4a1e6","text":"Papa John","type":"PERSON","__v":0},{"_id":"6244c4496880e45323ae25a6","text":"John Schnatter","type":"PERSON","__v":0},{"_id":"624221036880e45323ae0100","text":"Atlanta, Georgia","type":"LOCATION","__v":0},{"_id":"62421a456880e45323a1e8d4","text":"Las Vegas","type":"LOCATION","__v":0},{"_id":"623b75b06880e4532377c8ac","text":"Los Angeles","type":"LOCATION","__v":0},{"_id":"6244c44a6880e45323ae25cb","text":"Papa John","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0},{"_id":"6244c44a6880e45323ae25ed","text":"Starboard Value","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0},{"_id":"6244c44a6880e45323ae25ee","text":"Big Chicken","type":"ORGANIZATION","__v":0}],"hasBeenCheckedForEntities":true,"openInNewWindow":false,"rendered":13,"show":true,"link":"/story/5e347bcd527dcf49dad73e80/papa-johns-pizza-names-shaquille-oneal-to-its-board-of-directors","hasSchedule":false,"id":"5e347bcd527dcf49dad73e80"};