Shaquille O’Neal Teams Up to Showcase Virginia Man’s Massive Sports-Card Collection!

Well before basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal found his own likeness on sports trading cards, he was captivated by the images of two baseball icons on the cards he held as a child.

“I had a Reggie Jackson and a Pete Rose,” O’Neal reminisced to SI about his early encounters with Bazooka Joe trading cards. “I drifted away from collecting for a while, then picked it back up once I turned professional.”

O’Neal credits Tim Banazek’s extensive collection for reigniting his passion for card collecting.

Banazek, a former sales executive from Virginia, has gained recognition within the sports memorabilia community for acquiring what is likely the world’s largest private card collection in 2021. He bought it from a man he met through his daughter’s soccer team, a connection made via Facebook. The collection is estimated to contain around 20 million cards.

Now a father of three, Banazek is set to showcase the “Big League Find” globally, with O’Neal as his business partner.

“We aim to present this as the most community-oriented discovery in the hobby,” Banazek expressed. “Though it’s in my name, I see this collection as belonging to everyone. It encompasses everything a collector could dream of.”

The vast assortment includes at least 20,000 Michael Jordan cards, 5,000 Tom Brady cards, and 5,000 LeBron James cards, not to mention treasures like rookie cards of baseball greats Nolan Ryan, Hank Aaron, and Ernie Banks. Banazek also mentioned cards from the 1890s and cards featuring Hollywood celebrities during a detailed discussion.

For Banazek, like many others, the pandemic era rekindled his love for sports card collecting.

“I was searching for a new source of joy, something beyond a midlife crisis,” Banazek shared.

His journey began with sharing card packs on Facebook, which eventually led to the significant acquisition. This venture caught the attention of Michael Parris, a longtime business ally of O’Neal.

“Mike Parris lives close by, and once we heard the story, we reached out to Tim to explore potential collaborations, and it turned out we had similar visions,” said O’Neal.

The team is considering various strategies for sharing this impressive collection with the public, keeping their options open for now. They recognize the unique, tangible value of these physical cards in a digital age where detailed player statistics are just a click away.

“There’s something about holding an item that’s yours—there’s inherent value in that,” O’Neal stated. “Even today, discovering cards I’ve never seen before is thrilling. I regret not keeping all the cards I collected over the years.”

Explore More NBA Coverage on Sports Illustrated