The 12,330-square-foot Ohio mansion that NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal called home for one season is a step closer to potentially becoming a basketball fan's dream home.
There's a pending offer on the Ohio property that was listed for $2.75 million, according to Homes.com. The deal is preliminary and could still fall through.
O’Neal, the TV sports analyst and spokesman for a range of products including the Shaq-a-Roni Pizza, played on six different teams during his NBA tenure with a Cleveland Cavaliers stint for the 2009-2010 season.
According to listing agent David Ayers of The Agency Cleveland, O’Neal’s Ohio residence was so short he only rented the six-bedroom, six-bathroom mega mansion. Still, many of its features — including a two-story indoor basketball court — could have been custom-built by the NBA icon himself.
“He practiced free throws every day from the sports court,” said Ayers in an interview. “He really did use it quite a bit.”
The basketball court is 38.2 feet wide and 39.4 feet long, smaller than a standard NBA half court, and was also the site where shoe brand New Balance filmed a promotional video with Cavaliers point guard and NBA All-Star Darius Garland in 2023.
The lower-level court extends two stories, and the home office on the upper level includes a special vantage point.
“There are sliders that open up and you can see down into the court, which is really cool,” said Ayers. “Back in Shaq’s day, I believe there were bleachers where people could sit and watch. That’s what I’ve been told.”
Next to the court is a built-in bar with seating and a window looking into the court. It's located on the same level as a theater room — perfect for streaming O'Neal's big-screen debut, "Kazaam" — a secondary kitchen, fitness center, a temperature-controlled wine room with space for 400 bottles, and a spa room for meditation or yoga (formerly a cigar lounge during O’Neal’s residence), fitted with a 400-gallon saltwater aquarium and custom filtration system, something O’Neal likely added.
“The fish date back to his time there,” said Ayers. “Shaq has an affinity towards fish and aquariums, so that was an influence of his.”
O'Neal has been featured on Animal Planet's television show "Tanked," which chronicled two custom aquariums he commissioned. He also made headlines in 2023 when gifted an imported 39-inch koi from Japan for one of his two koi ponds at his home in Georgia.
The Ohio mansion's sellers completed major renovations since purchasing the property in 2021, taking the home from an early 2000s Tuscan aesthetic into a more modern style, according to Ayers. They added a special dog room with pet storage, dog wallpaper, and built-in beds. The lower level includes a custom dog house fit with a chandelier.
The 7-foot-1-inch O’Neal had no issue walking through the home, either, with its tall ceilings, noted Ayers.
“The ceiling heights are great, which is probably another reason why Shaq liked the house, because everything is super tall everywhere. It feels very open. There’s a lot of volume and light,” he said.
The home went pending after 53 days on market, and Ayers said the potential buyers have children who would likely make use of the in-home amenities. It’s located in the Glencairn Forest subdivision, where homes sell north of $1 million often, according to Ayers, who declined to give the amount of the offer.
Three homes near the Richfield, Ohio, home are currently listed for sale between $990,000 and $1.89 million, Homes.com data shows.