"Put it on my dad's tab" – Shaqir O’Neal treats himself with a $130K car
We've often seen cases in the league where sons of NBA players don't come close to fulfilling their fathers' potential. While exceptions like Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson exist, they're rare. The fact is, most sons of former players simply don't have the same hunger as their dads did to make it to the top.
The best example is Shaqir O'Neal, the 21-year-old son of Shaquille O'Neal , who currently plays for the Sacramento State Hornets. While he's far from the dominance his father displayed, his NIL valuation is already estimated at $815,000. That's impressive for someone his age, even coming from a wealthy family, yet he clearly doesn't hesitate when it comes to spending.
Shariq brought a Mercedes
According to Effortless Motors, the 6-foot-8 forward recently purchased a Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan, a sleek S 580 model worth around $130,000. The company shared the story on its Instagram account.
At one point, dealership owner Daniel Ubario even worried if Shaq knew what his son was up to, but Shaqir had a simple answer.
" Put it on my dad's tab ," the 21-year-old said. " He not gonna trip ."
Shaqir didn't listen to Shaq's words
The car arrived in Sacramento within 24 hours, where Shaqir plays and "Big Diesel" had no idea his son was using his money. While the four-time NBA champ's reaction hasn't been officially revealed, it will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
Interestingly, the entire purchase was done over FaceTime, adding another layer of curiosity to the situation as the Los Angeles Lakers legend might not be too thrilled to see his kids not following his guidance. Shaq has long emphasized giving his children tough lessons about earning their own wealth .
"My kids are older now," he said . "They kinda upset with me. Not really upset, but they don't understand. I tell them all the time. We ain't rich. I'm rich."
Shaq had to work hard to reach the level he is at today
Even though Shaq has an estimated net worth of around $500 million, he still teaches his children valuable life lessons about how nothing in life comes easy – not the money he earned through his phenomenal career, nor the aura he carried off the court.
The 53-year-old grew up poor in Newark, New Jersey, and had to work incredibly hard to reach the level that later brought him all his lucrative endorsement deals. Given today's generation, influenced by social media trends and easier access to everything, "Big Aristotle's" perspective on not just handing money to his kids makes perfect sense.
Shaqir can hardly understand the perspective of his father
Yet, Shaqir clearly hasn't absorbed the lesson, similar to Marcus Jordan, the son of Michael Jordan. Although not the same example, even MJ's son was considered by many to have great potential to reach the league. However, once he matured, his interests shifted elsewhere. Of course, when someone is so young and has such easy access to money, it's hard to blame them for some poor decisions, and it's no surprise if they never achieve even a fraction of what was expected of them.
Kids raised in a completely different environment than their fathers rarely understand their perspective or work ethic, and as a result, are unlikely to achieve the same level of success – simply because they didn't have to work as hard to get there.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
