$1 million in 30 minutes? Shaquille O’Neal reveals INSANE spending story

Shaquille O'Neal joined 'The Dan Patrick Show' to recount the story of how he spent $1 million in just about 30 minutes after his first check.

$1 million in 30 minutes? Shaquille O’Neal reveals INSANE spending story

Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O’Neal has always been larger than life, both on and off the basketball court. During his appearance on ‘The Dan Patrick Show’, the NBA legend shared a jaw-dropping story about how he managed to spend $1 million in just 30 minutes early in his career.

Shaquille O’Neal described his excitement after signing a lucrative trading card endorsement deal early in his career. With a check for $1 million burning a hole in his pocket, the HOFer immediately headed to a dealership to buy his dream car, a black-on-black Mercedes-Benz.

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But that purchase quickly spiraled into a string of other purchases as Shaq burned through the money.

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I go straight to the dealership. I have no negotiating skills. I was like, ‘How much is this Benz?’ He was like $150,000, so in my mind, $1 million minus $150,000—I’m still rich. I get this Benz, and I go home. I’m showing off to my dad, and my dad was like, Man, I wish I had one of these. and I was like, you know what, come on. So, we jump in the car and I get the same exact Benz.

Shaquille O’Neal candidly recalled

Shaquille O’Neal’s generosity and excitement snowballed from there. After showing the car to his father, who expressed a desire for one, Shaq immediately bought a second Benz. His mother was next, receiving her own $100,000 gift. Soon, the $1 million dwindled as he splurged on jewelry, custom suits, and even prepaid a year’s rent on a high-rise apartment he barely used.

The spending spree caught the attention of Shaquille O’Neal’s bank manager, who intervened with a wake-up call.

He said, ‘Mr. O’Neal, you need to educate yourself.’ After that, I was like, ‘I need to slow down.’

Shaquille O’Neal recounted

He showed Shaq his account balance and the substantial chunk of taxes (referred to by Shaq as “FICA”) that had been taken out.

Shaquille O’Neal’s fantastic car collection includes a Tesla ‘CyberBeast’, Rolls-Royace Phantom and more

Shaquille O’Neal’s love for cars remains undiminished, though he approaches his purchases with much more financial prudence now. O’Neal boasts a car collection worth millions. One of the standout pieces in his fleet is a custom Tesla CyberBeast truck, a heavily modified Cybertruck that accommodates his towering 7’1” frame.

Among his most iconic rides are his Rolls-Royce Phantom and his Lamborghini Gallardo – specially altered to fit his frame. He also owns a Dodge Challenger Hellcat and a Ford F-650, among other beasts in his collection.

However, the star of the collection is certainly his latest Tesla CyberBeast. Even though he was trolled by Atlanta rapper 2 Chainz over his purchase of the CyberBeast, Shaquille O’Neal has proudly proclaimed it as one of the stars in his collection.