Shaquille O’Neal Selling $28M Florida Megamansion He Bought 25 Years Ago
Shaquille O’Neal Selling M Florida Megamansion He Bought 25 Years Ago
NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal is saying goodbye to Shaq-apulco, the sprawling, 31,000-square-foot megamansion in Windermere, FL, he picked up in 1993, when he was a rookie with the Orlando Magic.
The 46-year-old former center spent a little under $4 million for the house, fresh out of college and just one year into his first NBA contract. Shaq-apulco remained O’Neal’s primary home for the next 25 years, even as he moved around the NBA, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics.
O’Neal routinely took reporters on tours of the house, and even shot an episode of “MTV Cribs” there.
Now, in retirement, he’s selling the supersize, 12-bedroom home because he’s spending more time in Atlanta as a basketball analyst for TNT. He’s listed the mansion for $28 million.
The house is larger than life and audacious, much like the homeowner himself.
Built in 1990, the house and its 4 acres are located on the shores of Lake Butler inside Isleworth, a gated golf community a short drive from Orlando.
The front doors open to a two-story foyer with double princess staircases. Just off the foyer is the formal dining room. Listing photos show a stone banquet table that must weigh hundreds of pounds. Each of the chairs in the house are oversized, to fit O’Neal’s 7-foot-1, 325-pound frame.
Just beyond the double staircases, the great room alone clocks in at 1,170 square feet. It has a stone fireplace that reaches the two-story ceiling. There’s a bank of large windows looking out to the lake.
The kitchen has an L-shaped breakfast bar, chef’s island, double refrigerators, and high-end appliances. There’s a double-sided stone fireplace next to the kitchen table.
On the other side of the that fireplace is the living room, which photos show was once home to a big rig truck chopped in half, with a Superman grill and “Diesel” painted across its gleaming fender.
O’Neal is a baller of many nicknames. In the early ’90s, he went by “Diesel,” releasing a platinum-selling hiphop album, “Shaq Diesel,” in 1993.
Speaking of nicknames, Superman references are found throughout Shaq-apulco. His 15-by-30-foot bed is emblazoned with the Superman logo, the lighting in his home theater has Superman logos, and many of his vehicles parked in the 17-car garage feature Superman emblems. There’s even a full-size Superman statue parked at the end of his dock.
O’Neal’s master bedroom is 900 square feet, with a fireplace, projector, four-room walk-in closet, his-and-her master baths, and two balconies.
The indoor basketball court has a Miami Heat logo, framed memorabilia, and low-rise bleachers.
Outside, there’s a 95-foot-long pool that’s 15 feet deep at the far end, with a rock waterfall. Elsewhere, there’s an Egyptian-themed room with a saltwater fish tank, walk-in humidor, outdoor kitchen, cabana, and privacy wall.
O’Neal is a four-time NBA champion as well as a 15-time NBA All-Star and can now be seen on “Inside the NBA” on TNT. He managed to spin his dominant NBA career into music and acting, appearing in 1996’s feature film “Kazaam” and countless Pepsi commercials.
The post Shaquille O’Neal Selling $28M Florida Megamansion He Bought 25 Years Ago appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.
Source: Real Estate News and Advice – realtor.com » Real Estate News