*Shaquille O’Neal once spent approximately $1.3 million on three Rolls-Royces after a salesman questioned whether he could afford the cars. The NBA legend later admitted he rarely drove the luxury vehicles.
The story resurfaced as a 2004 Rolls-Royce Phantom formerly owned by Shaq appeared on the auction website Bring a Trailer. O’Neal purchased the silver luxury sedan new and kept it until 2018.
According to Autoblog, the encounter happened during O’Neal’s years with the Los Angeles Lakers. He entered a Rolls-Royce dealership wearing casual clothes and began looking at vehicles.
Shaq had no intention of spending a fortune that day. During an appearance on the “Drink Champs” podcast, he explained why he kept asking about prices.
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“I like to spend money, but I don’t like to waste money,” he said. “I don’t want to spend $400,000 for a car.”
The salesman apparently grew impatient with the questions. “Yo man, you’re asking about all these cars, can you afford them?” O’Neal recalled the employee asking.
That was enough to change his shopping plans. Rather than leave empty-handed, he purchased three Rolls-Royces and had them delivered. He also asked the dealership to move the driver’s seats back to accommodate his 7-foot-1 frame.
Despite the expensive purchase, Shaq admitted he rarely drove the vehicles. “So I got three Rolls-Royces that I never drive,” he acknowledged on the podcast.
One of his former luxury cars has since attracted attention from collectors. The Bring a Trailer listing confirms that O’Neal purchased the 2004 Phantom new. However, the listing does not establish whether he bought the vehicle during the dealership encounter.
The car has approximately 45,000 miles, a 6.75-liter V12 engine and a light gray leather interior. The auction concluded November 3, with the Phantom selling for $62,000.
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