Shaquille O’Neal has had a fascinating life. He was a world-class basketballer who was a star of the NBA for almost two decades, eventually earning a spot in the Hall of Fame for his performances at teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.
But his achievements have stretched outside of the world of sport. On top of his broadcasting duties, O’Neal has worked as a brand ambassador for a number of high-profile companies and been an active investor in various businesses.
The sports star has owned several franchises for brands such as Papa John’s and Five Guys, started his own fast food chain in the form of Big Chicken and invested in a number of tech startups and ventures, including Google and Lyft. Many of these have proved lucrative, with O’Neal proving astute at identifying promising investment opportunities.
So it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that O’Neal owns some impressive properties, especially considering his net worth of $500 million. In this instance, we get a look inside his former Florida mansion that he owned and was sold in 2021 for $11 million.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Mansion Had a 6,000-Square-Foot Basketball Court
The home in question is a 31,000 square foot sprawling lakefront property in Orlando. It features a total of 12 bedrooms alongside a host of unique amenities that most people could only ever dream of.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of the property’s most spectacular features is a 6,000-square-foot indoor basketball court. When O’Neal owned the mansion, it was decorated with Miami Heat branding as a celebration of his championship-winning spell at the franchise.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the mansion also featured a 17-car garage that doubled as a showroom, in addition to a recording studio, cigar room, wine cellar, custom movie theater, safe room, and an aquarium.
Set on 3.9 acres of land overlooking Lake Butler, it offered around 700 feet of water frontage. Finally, there’s a 95-foot long 15-feet deep swimming pool.
Shaquille O’Neal Struggled for Years to Sell the Home
O’Neal purchased the Windermere property in 1993 for $3.95 million and spent years transforming it into a highly personalized home, with unique touches to match his style. It was these added elements, though, that made it so difficult to sell.
The house was on the market for three years before it eventually sold, requiring multiple listings from different agents and a significant makeover. It was initially listed for $28 million in 2018, but there was little interest from potential buyers. That led to multiple reductions in the asking price, although a proposed $16.5 million sale in 2021 fell through.
It wasn’t until Benjamin Hillman of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty became involved that a sake materialised. He effectively put the mansion through a “de-Shaq” process, making it seem more like a normal home.
It was a strategy that worked, with O’Neal selling the estate for $11 million in October. That was a staggering $17 million below the original asking price, although still almost triple what the NBA star paid for it.
