Has Shaquille O’Neal really downsized? Here’s a peek into his ‘modest’ North Texas home

By Tommy Cummings

You’re not going to equate Shaquille O’Neal’s new Carrollton estate with something you’d expect millionaire NBA legends would treat themselves to.

At 5,269 square feet, the place is one-sixth the size of the Florida mansion O’Neal sold last year — not exactly the kind of place that would shut up antagonist Charles Barkley.

Shaq’s residence is understated for the 7-foot-1 guy it will house, even on a part-time basis. A few months ago, it was listed at $1.225 million, almost pocket change for the native Texan who’s valued at more than $400 million and embraces living large.

In May, Zac Gideo, a real estate agent for Rogers Healy and Associates announced the sale on his Instagram account, showing a grinning O’Neal towering over him flashing a peace sign. Cindy O’Gorman at Ebby Halliday represented the seller.

“I found him the perfect home and most of the process was done virtually — FaceTime calls, videos of the property, etc.,” Gideo said in a statement.

It’s not a palatial Park Cities estate like Dirk Nowitzki’s. It’s not a sprawling Southlake mansion like Jermaine O’Neal’s.

It’s a typical suburban Texas home in a gated community. Homeowners association dues come twice a year. Recycling must be put out every other week.

The house has five bedrooms, five bathrooms and a couple of powder rooms. It has a standard-size kitchen. It has a pool, waterfall and spa that Barkley will likely scoff at. Dirt.com described the home as a “stone-quoined European-inspired manor.”

It’s a far cry from the 31,000-square-foot Windermere, Fla., home O’Neal sold for $11 million in October. In 2018, O’Neal told Ellen DeGeneres that he only regularly used two rooms in his mansion.

“The kitchen, because I like to eat — and the bedroom, because I like to sleep,” he said.

O’Neal still maintains a home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Ladera Heights and a 14.3-acre compound 30 miles from Atlanta.

This new Shaq shack does have value in its location. It’s within easy commuting distance to North Texas transportation hubs. It’s also within a few miles of Babe’s Chicken Dinner Houses in Carrollton and Roanoke and at least two Buc-ee’s, where he can get his Beaver Nugget fix.

O’Neal also plans to expand his Big Chicken restaurant chain to Texas, so this location makes it handy.

Here’s a look at the inside of Shaquille O’Neal’s Carrollton home

Based on interior photos posted on Redfin.com, here’s a walking tour:

• The front door is flanked by four fluted stone columns with two more Corinthian columns standing between the foyer and the formal living room.
• His library/office features polished wood paneling and flooring and beige marble floors framing a large fireplace.
• The front room is a modest size. It was staged with a piano where O’Neal and Barkley, when he drops by, can sing and play duets.
• The main-floor primary suite has an oval window that adds elegance to the bathroom. The primary suite was staged in photos with a standard king-size bed. It’s not known whether O’Neal will bring in his Superman-themed bed, the 15- by 30-foot bed — where does one get sheets for that sized bed? — he showed off on MTV Cribs.
• The house has one small home theater with tiered seating in leather recliners for when it’s time to catch his highlights as an analyst on TNT’s Inside the NBA.
• The kitchen features a large venting hood — just high enough for O’Neal to bump his head — over a six-burner gas range.
• The estate has a gated motor court, a three-car garage and two attic spaces for crates of NBA trophies.
• A patio overlooks a lagoon-style swimming pool that’s begging for O’Neal to do a cannonball dive. It’s no Shaqapulco, the name he gave for a gigantic pool he had at his Florida mansion. His new pool also has a stone fountain, beach entry and spill-over spa. If O’Neal does that cannonball, the neighbors’ walls are close enough to be splashed.

Whatever kind of neighbor O’Neal turns out to be, he’s already endeared himself with North Texans — buying things for needy residents, posing for selfies and showing up at a basketball camp.

Obviously, the Shaq shack is a part-time residence, likely a business expense.

“It has a lot to do with that, and basic travel — he travels here quite a bit for different things,” Gideo said.

Mark Cuban, Mavericks owner and Preston Hollow mansion owner, said he hasn’t seen Shaq’s shack.

“I’m sad he hasn’t invited me,” Cuban said. “Particularly since he has been to my house!”