NBA Hall of Famer and four-time champion Shaquille O’Neal, who is currently worth about half a billion dollars, recently got quite a surprise when a luxury car was delivered to his home — one he completely forgot buying.
In fact, according to the dealer, he purchased another of the same car for a different property.
Shaq Did What?: The Forgotten Shopping Spree
The 7-foot-1 basketball star looked genuinely confused when staff from Effortless Motors, the car dealer that handles his vehicle purchases, showed up with a custom Cadillac Escalade IQ.
The video posted on social media shows Shaq looking puzzled, then doubtful, and finally shocked when he learns about the car he didn’t remember ordering.
“I forgot I had it. Hold on. I bought an IQ?” Shaq said in the video, clearly surprised by the arrival of the luxury vehicle.
“You can’t be forgetting, Unc,” the dealer says.
His main worry was whether he could fit his tall frame into the sleek SUV, since regular cars are usually too small for him. When the dealership owner reminded him that he bought it a couple of months ago,
Shaq responded with genuine shock, adding, “I can’t even fit in an IQ.”
The car dealer quickly assured him, “This one you gonna fit in,” pointing out the special changes made just for Shaq’s comfort.
The Cadillac Escalade IQ, worth about $150,000, has been specially modified with seats moved back to give him enough legroom.
What makes this story even more interesting is that Shaq didn’t just forget about one luxury car—he actually bought two custom Cadillac Escalade IQs. The one delivered has an all-black exterior with special 26-inch Travis Scott Forgiato monoblock wheels, giving it a bold, impressive look.
Shaq’s big spending habits have become well-known over the years. In one famous story, he spent $70,000 at Walmart at 2 a.m. after being traded from the Miami Heat to the Phoenix Suns. Another time, he spent $1 million in just 30 minutes, buying three Mercedes cars at $150,000 each, plus some jewelry.
Despite his wealth today, Shaq has been open about money mistakes he made early in his career.
During a 2021 podcast called “Earn Your Leisure,” he admitted to blowing through his first big paycheck without understanding taxes.
“I had no idea what FICA, and income, state tax, sales tax were,” he said, explaining how he ended up “$60,000 in the hole” after buying things he didn’t need.
The basketball icon has gotten smarter with his money since then, though clearly not with keeping track of what he owns.
After trying out the vehicle, Shaq was won over by the roomy interior and custom features. Impressed with the changes made for his size, he even gave a shout-out to other tall athletes, saying, “Hey Victor Wembanyama, all you 7-footers, you better call my boys.”
For Shaquille O’Neal, forgetting about a total $300,000 two car purchases might seem crazy to most people, but it shows both his incredible wealth and his busy life. While most of us carefully track every dollar we spend, Shaq’s forgotten purchase reminds us of the different financial world that top athletes and entertainers live in—where even a custom luxury SUV can slip your mind like a forgotten lunch plan.
