Shaquille O'Neal Has Finally Sold His Florida Mega-Mansion for an Undisclosed Price
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Shaquille O'Neal has finally found a buyer for his Florida mega-mansion, complete with an indoor basketball court. The new owner payed an undisclosed sum for the property, which has been on and off the market since 2018 and seen several price cuts.
The retired NBA player, 49, first listed the home in Florida's Isleworth community for $28 million in May 2018, a real estate source tells PEOPLE. He then dropped the price to $22 million in December 2018, and again, to $19.5 million, in September 2020.
The home has since been renovated with major upgrades, and it went back on the market on March 15 for $16.5 million, PEOPLE confirmed after a deal fell through in February. It was then relisted with a new agent and brokerage, Benjamin Hillman of Premier Sotheby's International Realty, who finalized the current sale.
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Located on over three acres in a gated community with nearly 700 feet of lake frontage, the private estate offers 31,000 square feet of living space, 12 bedrooms and an array of over-the-top amenities.
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The most unique feature: a 6,000-square-foot indoor basketball court that reads "Shaq Center," and has the Miami Heat logo (he played for the team from 2004 to 2008) placed at center court.
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Outside, the sportscaster's home has a 95-foot-long swimming pool with a waterfall and an outdoor bar fit for entertaining. The backyard extends to a long dock on the lake that ends with a seating area.
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The property also includes a sound-proof home theater, a 1,400-square-foot cigar and wine bar room, an aquarium-style room with a fish tank, a game room, three fireplaces, and a showroom-style garage that fits at least 17 cars. Also on the property is a guest house with five bedrooms.
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Hillman recounted the moment he got the truly one-of-a-kind listing: "I was on floor duty when the call came in from an unrecognizable number. 'This is Shaq, and I'm calling you to sell my home.' I responded, 'It's about time you called me,'" he remembers. "Shaq laughed and continued, 'I've heard about you; they call you the closer and that's why I'm calling you.'"
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The agent notes that four other agents have attempted to sell the property over the last several years. "I was lucky No. 5. Shaq trusted me to find him a buyer, and I assured him I was the agent to do it," he said.
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The community where O'Neal's home is located is among "the most sought after" in Central Florida, the listing says, featuring an 18-hole championship golf course, 89,000-square-foot clubhouse, a resort-style pool, tennis courts and water sports.
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The athlete recently sold another, far more modest home: a five-bedroom spread in Bell Canyon, California, for $1.85 million. That home had originally been listed for $2.5 million in November 2019 and underwent a price cut.
