Stupidly Expensive Things Shaquille O'Neal Owns
Shaquille O'Neal has built an impressive career both on and off the court, as he's seamlessly transitioned from being one of the best players in NBA history to a successful businessman. However, things haven't always been easy for Shaq. In addition to a tragic childhood, which included a debilitating stutter and the discovery of his biological father at 11, he's also struggled on the personal front. The MVP has admitted to having a complicated relationship with his son and having trouble sleeping following the deaths of Kobe Bryant and his sister in a short span of time.
That being said, he's also experienced his share of highs. He has a strong relationship with his daughters, achieved his goal of getting a doctorate degree in education, and has treated himself to plenty of lavish gifts. Whether it be million-dollar home, a crazy customized car clocking in at six figures, or a luxury watch, Shaq doesn't shy away from spoiling himself. Here are the most stupidly expensive things Shaquille O'Neal owns.
Shaquille O'Neal bought three Rolls Royce cars just to prove a point
Talk about salty! In 2022, Shaquille O'Neal revealed that he once bought three Rolls Royce cars out of spite. It was 1996 and a 24-year-old Shaq had just signed a 7-year, $120-million deal with the Los Angeles Lakers. When his first check came through, he was ready to celebrate. As he told the "Drink Champs" podcast, his first payout was $10.9 million and "I spent that $10 million probably in three months." One of those millions was dropped at the Rolls Royce dealership after a salesperson rubbed him the wrong way. As O'Neal recalled, he showed up wearing sweats – "I'm looking like a bum" – and began asking lots of questions about pricing. "I don't wanna spend $400,000 for a car, so I'm like, 'Hey man, how much is this? Nah. How much is this one?'" he recalled. "Finally the old guy says, 'Yo man, you asked about all these cars, can you afford them?'" That proved to be the wrong thing to say to Shaq who was instantly offended. After asking the man, "What the f*** you just said to me?" he went ahead and bought three of the cars in the showroom.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the smartest move because he never really drove any of them, per Mirror. He did hold onto his revenge purchases, though, and in 2023, he took his Rolls Royce Cullinan to West Coast Customs to spruce it up with a new body kit and add a flashy Superman logo to its grill.
He loves a customized ride
When Shaquille O'Neal gets a new car, he likes to personalize it. Indeed, he's been visiting West Coast Customs since the late '90s and has collabed with other customizers as well. Over the years, he's had a Ferrari and Lamborghini altered to fit his seven-foot-one frame, but has since replaced his luxury vehicles with tricked out rides from Dodge and Ford. "All I have is Chargers and F-150s," he told "NBA on TNT" in 2023. As he explained to Graham Bensinger, he swore off sports cars after he once hit a wet spot in a custom Lamborghini, lost control, and was almost hit by an oncoming 18-wheeler.
These days, his collection includes a silver 2022 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat (starting price $75,000) gifted to him for his 50th birthday. It features a red splatter paint job, scissor doors, and the words "Diesel Dog Mafia" emblazoned on the hood and sides. Calling it the "best birthday ever" on Instagram, he joked, "I feel like Charles Barkley eating a piece of chocolate cake." Then, in 2023, he had Forbes Performance customize his third Hellcat (starting price $85,250) with a long list of upgrades, including red LEDs under the car, a whole new hood, headlights that project a green alien-like shape, and a rear license plate with a meme of him from "Hot Ones." The ride was dubbed "The Hellshaq" and the MVP loved it, but he did share an important PSA: "No speeding if you have these cars! I don't speed."
Shaq pushed the price of his favorite Ford truck to double
Shaquille O'Neal showed off just how much he's willing to spend on a custom ride back in 2017 when he picked up a seven-foot-five Ford F-650 from the Wade Ford dealership in Smyrna, Georgia. Showing off his new car on Twitter, he enthused, "Just gotta SHAQ SIZED f650!" As Fox News learned, Wade Ford collaborated with Super Trucks in Augusta, Georgia, which specializes in customizing Ford F-650s for wealthy clients. It actually wasn't the first time they were tasked with a project for Shaq. In 2012, Super Trucks co-founder Chris Walker told The Augusta Chronicle that his client list included sports greats like Shaq who were willing to spend as much as $200,000 on a custom job. "I build trucks for people who can have just about anything they want, but they can only get these trucks from me," he told the mag.
For his latest project, Shaq chose to go with upgrades like a new suspension, a 6.7-liter Powerstroke diesel V8 engine, and leather-upholstered seats, per Fox News. According to The Drive, that kind of work would have transformed the $65,925 2017 Ford F-650 into a car costing anywhere between $109,750 and $124,150. But money is no object for Shaq and, as he told Jimmy Fallon, it was love at first sight. As soon as he saw the massive F-650 at the dealership, he bought it without a test drive. "I was like, 'I'll take it right now,'" he laughed.
Inside Shaquille O'Neal million-dollar real estate
In addition to spending millions on cars, Shaquille O'Neal has also dropped plenty of cash on real estate. In 2016, for example, he bought a two-house estate set on 14 acres of land in McDonough, Georgia for $1.15 million, per Los Angeles Times. Just two years later, he picked up a $1.815 million mansion in a gated community in Bell Canyon, California, complete with five bedrooms and four-and-a-half baths, which he eventually sold for $1.85 million in 2021.
By far his biggest abode, though, was a 31,000-square-foot palatial build in the gated golf community of Isleworth, Florida. It came with 12 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, its own basketball court, a 17-car showroom, a cigar room, wine cellar, custom theater, recording studio, 95-foot-long swimming pool, and a private dock heading out onto Lake Butler. Shaq spent $3.95 million to buy the house in 1993 and made a nice chunk of change when he eventually sold it in 2021 for $11 million, per Los Angeles Times.
Following the sale, Shaq decided to downsize as he moved into a gated community in Carrollton, Texas. According to The Dallas Morning News, he purchased a much smaller home that clocked in at 5,269 square feet and boasted five bedrooms and five bathrooms, as well as a library, movie theater, and pool. The house was listed for $1.225 million.
He splurged on an impressive yacht
Shaquille O'Neal has been spotted hanging out on chartered yachts on multiple occasions and in July 2018, he decided to stop renting and buy his own vessel. Taking to Instagram to introduce fans to his "new toy," Shaq posed in front of his newly purchased yacht and asked, "What should I name her?" Folks were quick to offer some cheeky options, like "Sea Shaq or Shark Shaq." Another quipped, "Call it 'free throw' so you won't ever sink it," per ESPN. The MVP himself liked that one a lot, writing back, "That was funny, I saw that while I was on the coast of Greece."
While he hasn't offered any details on the make or model of his powerboat, Boat Safe did some digging and concluded that it's likely an 84-footer that could have cost anywhere between $1.7 million and $130 million. Jump to 2023 and MailOnline spotted Shaq partying on a yacht off the coast of the Greek island of Mykonos. It looked awfully similar to the boat he showed off on Instagram and its location aligned with his previous statement about using it near Greece. The outlet believed it to be a Pershing 7X, a 70-foot-long boat with a 16-person capacity that retails for around $3.2 million.
The NBA GOAT has a fine taste in watches
Shaquille O'Neal is as much known for his partnerships as for his basketball career and in 2020, he let his love of watches shine as he teamed up with Invicta to release his own line of timepieces. The collection featured numerous blinged out XXL designs that were meant to be accessible to all. Prices started at $319 for a red and black steel 53mm entry watch and went all the way up to $16,209 for the #1 Limited Edition Invicta SHAQ 3.42 Carat Diamond Automatic 60mm Steel Watch.
It wasn't the first time Shaq was immortalized in a watch. Back in 2007, he was honored with an exclusive Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore "Shaquille O'Neal" release. The stainless steel automatic chronograph had a massive 48-millimeter case, a red and black color scheme, and an engraved portrait of Shaq dunking a basketball on the back. Released in a limited run of 960, it has since become quite the collectible. In 2023, one was listed by Sotheby's for $37,250 while another sold for $32,500 via Christie's.
In addition to likely owning one himself, as well as pieces from his Invicta line, Shaq has also been spotted wearing an impressive 42mm Cartier Santos 100 XL Chronograph with a rose gold diamond pavé dial and crocodile bracelet. The substantial piece came with a substantial price, according to Superwatchman which placed its cost at $35,000.
The time Shaq dropped $1 million in one day
Shaquille O'Neal may enjoy spending money, but one particular incident from his twenties has taught him the value of spending wisely. Speaking with Business Insider in 2017, the basketball legend shared how a shopping spree in 1992 forever changed his financial approach. Shaq was 20 at the time and had just signed an endorsement deal with a trading card company. His agent called to say he had $1 million coming his way and so, he decided to celebrate by spending it all in one day. First up, he bought a Mercedes-Benz for $150,000, then got the same car for his dad, and a smaller $100,000 model for his mom. "It was me being overly happy/irresponsible," he admitted.
What's more, his math was off. Shaq didn't consider taxes nor fees and thought he still had $600,000 at his disposal. "So now, I've gotta go do what all the homeboys do — gotta buy rings and diamonds and earrings and this and that," he recalled. "I was just buying stuff I didn't even need." Soon enough, he was $50,000-$60,000 in debt and his bank manager actually called him in for a meeting. That's when he said something that would forever change Shaq's money handling: "A lot of you guys, when you're done playing, don't have anything – I don't want you to be like that." Shaq learned his lesson and hired a business manager, thus vowing to never make the same mistake again.
Shaq's six-figure treehouse outshines most homes
With a $400 million net worth, Shaquille O'Neal can pretty much buy anything he wants and that includes an outlandish treehouse that costs way more than most homes. In 2020, Shaq appeared on Animal Planet's "Treehouse Masters" and revealed that he had always wanted a treehouse. Recalling how he and a friend tried to build one when they were kids (it collapsed instantly!), the sports star requested "a place to hang out with the fellas, play some cards, smoke some cigars, some poker, some blackjack."
Host and builder Pete Nelson delivered, building Shaq an over-the-top speakeasy, which made Shaq jump for joy. Waking up the stairs into the treehouse, he was greeted by an impressive porch (complete with fire pit) and a gigantic, Shaq-sized mahogany door. Once inside, things only got more lavish with a poker table, dart board, full-service bar, huge humidor for cigars, and even a custom oil painting of O'Neal himself. "There's better work on this thing than there is on my two million dollar house out there," he gushed, sharing, "This will be my C.O.R.E. treehouse: Chill out room etcetera." While the exact price wasn't revealed, it was estimated to be around $400,000. Indeed, Nelson told Forbes in 2017, "Our average treehouse price is $275,000, [but] some of them are upwards of $400,000."
Shaquille O'Neal made the biggest purchase in Walmart history
If you think Shaquille O'Neal only shops at luxury retailers, think again. "My two favorite stores: JCPenney and Walmart," he told "NBA on TNT." And he wasn't lying. Shaq actually holds the record for the biggest purchase in Walmart history. As he told James Corden back in 2018, he once spent $70,000 in a single trip. He had just been transferred from Miami, Florida to Phoenix, Arizona and while he had an apartment waiting for him, it was completely empty. "I have no patience," he shared and so, he drove to Walmart around three in the morning to get everything he needed in one go. "I gotta go get four, five TVs, I gotta go get printers, I gotta go get laptops, I gotta go get appliances, sheets, towels, underwear, T-shirts," he recalled.
However, he hit a brief snag when he went to pay and his credit card was declined, twice. The American Express security team actually called to tell him his credit card had been stolen. When Shaq informed them the purchase was indeed legit, they unblocked his card so he could complete the purchase, but not before asking what everyone was thinking: "What the hell are you buying for $70,000?!" Turns out the biggest spend of the night was five 80-inch TVs at $2,000 each.