Preloading

How Shaquille O'Neal Spent $1 Million in One Day

Season 6 Episode 607
Aired on 09/16/2017 | CC tv-pg
For many young people who suddenly come into a significant amount of money, saving some of it—or even setting aside a portion for taxes—isn't always a top priority, and Shaquille O'Neal was no different when he received a check for $1 million early in his career.

As the NBA Hall of Famer recounts in the above clip, he took his money and went on an epic one-day shopping spree, buying three Mercedes-Benz automobiles (one each for himself, his mother and his father), expensive jewelry, nice suits and even a high-rise condo. The next day, Shaq says, his bank manager called and set him straight—a conversation Shaq truly took to heart.

"General Eisenhower said, 'The greatest leaders are the ones smart enough to have people smarter than them around them,'" Shaq says. "I got a lot of smart people around me."

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