When you're a 7-foot-1, 325-pound NBA legend, everyday luxuries don’t quite come off the rack. Especially not Ferraris.
Shaquille O’Neal, one of the most dominant and charismatic players in NBA history, recently shared one of his most hilarious money misfires on the Beatbox Podcast, and it had everything: ego, engineering, and rain.
"Worst purchase would be, I bought two Ferraris. I bought a real Ferrari. I bought a salvage Ferrari. Cut my real Ferrari in half. Took pieces of the salvage Ferrari to stretch it, and then realized I couldn't fit. And then we had to take the top off permanently, which gave me about five more inches."
"And it all worked out good until I didn't read the weather report, and I went to Miami to Fort Lauderdale. And on the way back, it started raining, and the whole car got flooded out."
The whole episode sounds like a sitcom plot, but it’s just another chapter in the long list of larger-than-life Shaq stories. He’s long been known for wild purchases and a playful approach to spending. But this Ferrari disaster might take the cake, not just for its absurdity, but because of how casually Shaq seems to own it.
Yet this extravagant misadventure highlights something else: the unique challenge of luxury for giants. For someone like O’Neal, fitting into high-end cars is no easy task. Even SUVs often require customization. In fact, this isn’t the only time Shaq has turned to remodeling experts; his car collection includes custom Lamborghinis, Bentleys, and even trucks modified just to fit his size.
And when it comes to cars, O’Neal has always gone big. But despite his opulence, he’s not above laughing at himself. That’s what makes him so beloved, not just his on-court dominance, but his off-court humility.
These days, he’s more cautious. Though still indulgent with his daughters, “girls get whatever they want,” he once said, he makes his sons work hard for everything. He’s also famously strict about access to his wealth, requiring his kids to earn multiple degrees before they can “touch Daddy’s cheese.”
So, what’s the lesson here? Maybe it’s that even multimillionaires with access to custom engineers and endless cash sometimes learn the hard way: Ferraris weren’t made for 7-footers. And if you’re going to chop a car in half, at least check the weather forecast.
As for Shaq? He doesn’t seem to mind. In true Diesel fashion, he’s laughing all the way through the rainstorm.
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