Shaquille O’Neal reportedly loses millions every year after putting down $27,000,000 on one luxury purchase he said he’d never buy.
If you’ve ever owned a car, you’ll be all too painfully familiar with its expenses as keeping a car running on the road doesn’t just come down to fuel – there’s road tax, insurance and mechanics’ bills in-between.
Yet while a four-wheeled land vehicle can easily put you out of pocket, imagine how much it costs to buy and fuel an airborne winged jet – and keep it operationally safe.
That’s what the former professional basketball player and four-time NBA champion is said to be dealing with after forking out a whopping $27 million on his own private jet.
The sum is equivalent to the median lifetime earnings of just under 15.9 US citizens, with the median being around $1.7 million over an entire lifespan.
Shaq made the surprising leap to plane ownership in 2023 after previously renting out other private jets and telling Jetset magazine in 2010 that he wasn’t interested.
He said at the time there was ‘too much maintenance’ involved, adding: “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.”
However, clearly something changed the 52-year-old’s mind as he is now the proud owner of the Bombardier Challenger 650 jet.
But how much does the jet cost to maintain?
Well, the largest expense is, unsurprisingly, its fuel. More specifically, jet fuel, which can’t just be purchased at your local garage.
According to Liberty Jet, around 200 hours of flight could set the basketball star back some $517,668.
But even if he’s taking short trips and making his fuel last, the next expensive issue is staffing the jet.
Unlike the Iron Maiden frontman, Bruce Dickinson, who is a trained airline pilot, Shaq will have to pay someone to fly his jet and act as cabin crew.
This racks up a bill of around $307,542 for those 200 hours.
On top of that, there’s engine maintenance, estimated at around $93,174, and other expenses such as insurance and hangar space, the total of which would reportedly put Shaq back by an eye-watering $1,351,204 for 200 hours, and $2,144,112 for 400 hours.
The star isn’t the only basketball player to own his own private jet, with Michael Jordan also owning one which cost $61.5 million.
UNILAD has contacted representatives for Shaq for comment.
