Credits: USA Today Sports

Shaquille O’Neal lives life as advertised. His larger-than-life personality has helped him carve a niche for himself as an analyst and a businessman post-retirement. However, the same tendencies cause Shaq to make many impulsive decisions that he would have otherwise avoided. During his Orlando Magic days, he was tempted to make alterations to his house after being spurred by a swimming pool he saw installed at Chicago Bulls legend & then Magic teammate, Horace Grant’s house. In fact, he even tore down his guest house and added a larger pool, acting true to his competitive nature.

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The mansion had a stark downturn as Shaq had to relist the property five times, but eventually managed to sell for a reasonable $11,000,000 in 2021, as per the LA Times. Considering COVID and the spending curb, it could have perhaps acquired a higher price right now. The story behind the pool could even have played its part. After all, who wouldn’t want to own a piece of Shaq’s legacy?

A younger Shaquille O’Neal’s urge to outshine everybody

On multiple interviews, Shaq has spoken about how he could have done things differently and how his ego spurred him to make certain decisions that he would have otherwise avoided. One of those decisions came in 1994 when he was a young star on the Orlando Magic side.

It all started when he got a glimpse of teammate Horace Grant’s impressive swimming pool. And Shaq being Shaq, couldn’t resist the urge to top that. He tore down a guest house, replacing it with a jaw-dropping 95-foot-long swimming pool, aptly named “Shaq-apulco.” Here is what was said on the matter, in the book ‘Shaq Uncut‘:

“When Horace Grant joined our team, he got this house with a really nice pool in the backyard, so I had to tear down my guest house and gut it and build an even more fabulous pool than his.”

‌Spread across a whopping 31,000 square feet, this architectural masterpiece that is Shaq’s mansion sits proudly by Lake Butler in Orlando’s exclusive Isleworth golf community. There’s a 6,000-square-foot Miami Heat-themed basketball court, a 17-car showroom, cigar room, wine cellar, custom theater, safe room, recording studio, and aquarium adorned with hieroglyphics. All within a mansion that matches the persona and size of its former owner, as the LA Times wrote.

Unfortunately, Shaq’s mansion couldn’t fetch its initial worth. COVID and the consequent drop in real estate prices likely played a part in the near 60% drop in price from its initial $28 Million price tag. A good deal for the buyer, but a not-so-great one for Shaq. However, when you have a $400 million net worth, the hit doesn’t seem quite so bad.

Shaq’s other rivalry in Orlando

During his run with the Orlando Magic, Shaq cooked up a rivalry with teammate Penny Hardaway that went far beyond the hardwood.

A friendly feud all about flashing the cash, with big endorsements and a fat NBA contract, Shaq wasn’t satisfied with just being dominant on the hardwood. He wanted to flex off the court too. So, he and Penny went head-to-head, not just on game day but at the car dealership and even at the real estate office.

“Shaq Uncut” spills the beans on the story:

“It went something like this. Penny would go out and buy a Ferrari, so I had to go out and a buy a nicer car. We were young and cocky, and we all wanted to be The Man in every category. Girls, cars, houses. I figured since I was single and had a lot of money and a lot of responsibility, I had to be The Man on the team. I’m a bit of a show-off, so if anyone tried to one-up me, I had to do something outlandish to respond to it.”

Here’s the plot twist: Shaq’s shot at a mega $115,000,000 seven-year contract extension got blocked. The Magic decided to focus on Penny’s deal, something that didn’t sit well with Shaq. It pushed him to head west, where he became a Lakers legend.