Shaquille O’Neal has owned some pretty wild vehicles over the years.
Custom Rolls-Royces. Ferraris. A modified Lucid Air. Enough luxury SUVs to start a very exclusive airport shuttle service.
So naturally, when Tesla’s enormous, futuristic-looking Cybertruck came along, Shaq bought one.
Actually, he bought two.
Because apparently that’s how car shopping works when you’re Shaquille O’Neal.
But despite the Cybertruck having one major advantage for the 7-foot-1 NBA legend—it was actually big enough for him without extensive modifications—the trucks didn’t remain in the Big Diesel garage forever.
Shaq recently revealed on The Big Podcast with Shaq that he sold them, and his reason was surprisingly practical.
“I was into Cybertrucks but they don’t give enough charge mileage,” O’Neal explained.
Yes, Shaq had range anxiety.
Stars—they’re just like us.
Except most of us aren’t experiencing range anxiety while deciding which of our 40-plus vehicles to drive that afternoon.
Shaq’s love affair with automobiles has been well documented. He’s accumulated a massive collection over the years, and because very few vehicles are designed around someone with his dimensions, many have required serious customization.
He’s had Rolls-Royces altered. His Lucid Air was customized. He’s even owned a heavily modified Ferrari that became something of a Frankenstein creation designed to accommodate the Big Fella.
The Cybertruck was different.
It was already spacious enough.
No Shaq surgery required.
Unfortunately, the electric driving range apparently wasn’t enough to keep him interested.
So what replaced it?
Shaq says he moved over to an electric Cadillac Escalade, which might be about the most Shaquille O’Neal vehicle imaginable.
Big.
Luxury.
Electric.
And most importantly, enough room for Shaq to sit inside without having somebody relocate half the interior.
In fact, reports say O’Neal currently owns three identical electric Cadillacs, all of them black.
Why three?
This is Shaq we’re talking about. Asking “why three?” feels like we’re already approaching this from the wrong direction.
His car-buying history has always been part enthusiasm, part impulse and part comedy.
Shaq has openly admitted to making spur-of-the-moment purchases. One famous story involved buying multiple Rolls-Royces after an encounter with a salesperson motivated him to prove that, yes, he could afford them.
He’s also sold vehicles periodically, including a group of customized cars he apparently wasn’t using much anymore.
When your collection gets large enough that you have to mentally inventory the garage, downsizing probably becomes relative.
The Cybertruck story also reveals something entertaining about Shaq’s relationship with cars.
For all the exotic vehicles, custom modifications and enormous purchases, he ultimately wants the same basic things everybody else wants.
Does it fit?
Is it comfortable?
And can I get where I’m going without worrying about finding a charger?
The Cybertruck passed the Shaq-sized test.
The range test? Apparently not.
So the Big Diesel has gone Cadillac electric instead.
Three times.
And knowing Shaq’s history with cars, we’d hesitate to call that the final chapter.
There’s always room for one more.
Well, assuming Shaq can fit in it.