There's legend, and then there's legendary, and Shaquille O'Neal is probably both. However, he wasn't always the NBA Legend with a legendary legacy. He had to fight the odds and climb the industry with his skills, passion, and discipline.
Now, the man has always liked his life 'larger than life'! This meant that from a young age, he was well into spending his paychecks on luxurious purchases.
O'Neal started his career in Orlando, and this is where he purchased a massive mansion. If not anything else, the fact that it had a bed which could fit 50 people was outstanding!
Obviously, the enormous property wasn't hidden behind bushes. It was lavish and made others wonder what it would be like to live in it.
While others wondered, the King of Pop tried to make it a reality.
One fine day, Michael Jackson showed up at his doorstep and expressed interest in purchasing the property. Now, it's understandable if Jackson wanted to buy it because it was on sale. Interestingly, it wasn't!
During a conversation on Revolt Podcast, Shaquille O'Neal revealed what went down in that conversation.
“MJ showed up at my house and tried to buy my house in Orlando. Yeah, he just showed up at the door… So I had this big 70,000 square meter, and I had a bed that fits 50 people. He looked around the house, he said ‘I want to buy the house.’ and I’m like ‘It’s not for sale’.”
During the time when the King of Pop made the offer to Shaquille O'Neal, there were two notable problems.
First, Shaquille O'Neal hadn't put the house up for sale in any shape or form.
Second, at that time, Michael Jackson himself was in a $500 Million debt, yet he wanted to purchase the grand mansion from the NBA Legend.
This proves that Michael Jackson loved spending money, and his purchases were much grander than anyone could imagine.
In fact, his house, Neverland, is the epitome of how much Michael Jackson loved to spend!
The late Michael Jackson lived in a vast 12,598 sq. ft. home that was built on a land of 2,698 acres.
The ranch came with a lake with waterfalls, a tennis court, a pool, a zoo, a movie theater, and even a stage. The idea of having an amusement park and a zoo was to keep visiting children entertained.
Moreover, he named it Neverland after Neverland from Peter Pan, where a child never grows up.
Unfortunately, since MJ's tragic demise in 2009, the land has been left by itself. It was listed on the market for a whopping $100 Million but recently, billionaire businessman Ron Burkle purchased it for $22 Million.
Michael Jackson lived on the property for 15 years since he purchased it in 1988 for an undisclosed amount. It's believed to be somewhere between $19 Million to $30 Million.
