Shaquille O’Neal is one of the wealthiest men in the world because he was of the biggest superstars in the NBA. Even after his career in the league ended, O’Neal’s endorsement deals and smart investments have allowed him to amass a massive net worth.
O’Neal is believed to be worth $400 million at the moment, making him one of the richest players in the world. O’Neal is also one of the smartest players when it comes to his money. But at a Rolls-Royce dealership, Shaq couldn’t help but be competitive with a boxing legend over their spending practices.
Shaquille O’Neal once revealed that he went with boxing legend Mike Tyson to a Rolls-Royce dealership. Tyson was purchasing 3 Rolls-Royce. Not wanting to be outdone, Shaq decided to purchase 2 of his own, spending $600,000 on them. His financial advisor wasn’t happy with Shaq’s spending that day (0:55 mark).
“One time, me and Tyson was in the Rolls-Royce dealership and Tyson bought three. And I wasn’t gonna buy three, but I wasn’t gonna let him outdo me. So I bought two. Six hundred thousand going down the drain. I had it, but Lester called me like ‘hey, gotta stop this’ so.”
Clearly, Shaq wasn’t going to be outdone by Mike Tyson. Both athletes had amassed a lot of money at that point, so Shaq didn’t feel any concern spending it in an effort to boost his standing when compared to Tyson.
Shaq has spoken in the past about recklessly spending his money. He spent his first paycheck from the NBA on several Mercedes-Benzes for him and his family, a move he admitted was very dumb and not something he should have done looking back. But clearly, neither car purchase significantly hurt his bank balance.