Featured Image Credit: Instagram/masonwrightblvckbox
Topics: Basketball, US News, Travel, Money
Tom Earnshaw
Topics: Basketball, US News, Travel, Money
Fans of Shaquille O'Neal have been left shocked after finding out how much he has to spend on maintenance to keep his £20 million private jet running.
With a net worth of roughly $400m (£305m) to his name, it's fair to say that money is of no issue for basketball legend Shaq.
Regarded as one of the greatest to ever play the game, he won four NBA championships in his professional career that spanned almost two decades.
In three of those four seasons, he was named the MVP (most valuable player) of the NBA Finals.
Away from the game he has ventured into the music industry and has become one of the most well known faces and personalities inside and outside of the game.
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And it seems that being among the best paid players to ever take to the court brings with it a certain bravado.
Take Michael Jordan for example, who is arguably the greatest to ever play basketball. With the greatest comes a private jet worth a whopping $61.5m (£46.8m).
Well, despite Shaq saying he would never get one himself, he finally took the plunge last year.
In 2010, O'Neal said he wouldn't get a jet 'because there's too much maintenance'.
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He said: "If I own something, I like to know what is going on.
"I don’t want to get screwed in a bad deal. I’ve seen it happen to other guys."
Yet in 2023, Shaq, now 52, changed his mind after renting a plane, finally entering the buyer's market with a $27m (£20.5m) rated Bombardier Challenger 650.
A stunning white aircraft, it has a lavish interior with wood paneling and cream leather seating.
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It officially can carry 12 people with a range of around 4,000 nautical miles, meaning he can get to pretty much anywhere he wants in the world with total ease.
And in true Shaq style, he had his Dunkman symbol added to the tailplane - an iconic logo outline of Shaq slam dunking a ball through a basketball hoop.
Shaq, though, was right to be wary of the costs involved with maintaining a private jet. His bill is absolutely massive.
According to Liberty Jet, using his jet for 200 hours a year sets O'Neal back approximately $1,350,000 (£1,028,000).
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That includes $517,000 (£393,000) on fuel; $307,000 (£233,000) on cabin crew; and $93,000 (£70,860) on an engine overhaul.
After finding out the costs, one fan cheekily wrote: "This is why I catch public transport."
Another said: "Mad money but he can pay for that easily."