Shaquille O'Neal once spent $1.3m at car dealership after comment left him 'p****d'

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal once spent a whopping $1.3 million at a car dealership following a jibe from a member of staff.

One of the best basketball players of all time, 'Shaq' won four NBA championships and represented the likes of Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers.

He is said to have a net worth of $400 million (£350 million) but had set himself a budget for a new car.

However, when the car salesman questioned whether he could the vehicles he was looking at.

That left the 7ft 1 center absolutely furious and he proceed to buy three new Rolls Royces totalling more than $1 million.

Telling the story on Drink Champs, he said: "I didn't want to spend $400,000 on a car so I'm like, 'Hey man, how much is this?'

"Finally, the old guy says, 'Yo man, you're asking about all these cars, can you afford them?'.

"Now I'm p*****d. I said, 'What the f*** did you say to me?'. So I buy three, that one, that one and that one and I want them dropped off. Move the seat back.

"I got three Rolls Royces that I never drive. So there goes another million."

O'Neal once bought LeBron James a Rolls Royce, while only recently he enlisted the helm of West Coast Customs to give his vehicle a new feel.

Image: Getty

Despite his wealth, accrued from his success on the court and various other ventures, the 51-year-old is serious about keeping his kids grounded.

In fact, he tells them that he is the one who is "rich" and enforces them to go to college.

He will also only invest in their projects if they convince him to do with a pitch, making them "earn it".

Speaking on the Earn Your Leisure podcast, he said: "My kids are older now. They kinda upset with me - not really upset - but they don't understand.

"Because I tell them all the time. We ain't rich. I'm rich.

"You've got to have Bachelor's or Master's [degrees] and then if you want me to invest in one of your companies, you're going to have to present it... bring it to me, I'll let you know. I'm not giving you nothing."

He continued: There's one rule: education. I don't care if you play basketball. I don't care about none of that.

"Listen, I got six kids. I would like a doctor, somebody to own a hedge fund, a pharmacist, a lawyer, someone that owns multiple businesses, someone to take over my business. But I tell them I'm not going to hand it to you. You gotta earn it."

Topics: Shaquille O’Neal, LA Lakers, NBA

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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