Fans were left stunned when they discovered how much it costs NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal to fly on his $27 million private jet.
With so much money sitting in their bank accounts, what do the world's most talented sports stars do? Buy private jets, of course.
Michael Jordan - arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time - has his own $61.5 million private jet, which he uses to attend events around the globe.
One NBA legend who said he would never get his own private jet is Shaquille O'Neal.
Advert
Back in 2010, the four-time NBA champion said he was unlikely to ever purchase his own private aircraft because of the maintenance involved.
“No, I don’t think so. There’s too much maintenance," he told Jetset magazine.
"If I own something, I like to know what is going on. I don’t want to get screwed in a bad deal. I’ve seen it happen to other guys.”
O'Neal, who has an estimated personal wealth of $400m, said he had no desire to purchase a private plane in order to show off his wealth to others.
“Yeah, some guys do,” he added. "But I don’t do that. I’m a man of the people.”
However, in 2023 O'Neal changed his mind after renting private planes for many years. The NBA legend decided to drop $27m on a Bombardier Challenger 650.
The white jet has a lavish interior, with cream leather seating and wood paneling. It can accommodate 12 people and has a range of 4,000 nautical miles.
To make the jet stand out, Shaq had his 'Dunkman' logo added to the tailplane.
Shaq was right to be wary of the maintenance involved in owning a private jet; his maintenance bill is absolutely huge.
According to Liberty Jet, using his jet for 200 hours a year sets O'Neal back approximately $1,351,204.
That figure includes fuel ($517,668), crew ($307,542) and engine overhaul ($93,174).
For 400 hours of flying, the total running cost would increase to $2,144,112.
Topics: Basketball, Michael Jordan, NBA, Shaquille ONeal
Alex Brotherton