Shaquille O’Neal’s
Isleworth home is drawing interest from prospective buyers in South Florida and the Northeast, according to the broker in charge of selling the mansion.
Now that Shaquille O’Neal’s Orlando-area home has been on the market for a few days, the broker in charge of selling the massive mansion said Thursday many prospective buyers are coming from South Florida, where the list price — $28 million — is a little less dazzling.
In Central Florida, the price is among the largest ever sought for a home. But in Miami Beach, Brazilian businessman Jose Carlos Pontes just put his place on the market for $38 million, according to Forbes.
A few buyers from the Northeast, including Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, also have inquired about Shaq’s Isleworth estate near Windermere, said Danial Natoli, real estate agent for Premier Sotheby’s International Realty. He’s the exclusive agent on the listing.
“It’s very exciting, but it’s still a job,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest homes ever, for price and size, in Orlando.”
But if you’re thinking of requesting a tour of Shaq’s mansion, don’t get your hopes up. Just to set foot on the property, you have to prove you have access to $28 million and provide information at least 24 hours in advance so that Sotheby’s can run a background check on you.
Shaq has moved to Atlanta. His mansion, privately situated on 3 acres overlooking Lake Butler at 9927 Giffin Court, lies behind the gates of Isleworth, a prestigious private golf club community.
The home has 31,000 square feet of living space and, of course, a 6,000-square-foot indoor basketball court.
Many of Shaq’s belongings have been removed from the property, but there was a little staging to be done, Natoli said.
“We did a little straightening up, just to get ready for photography and video, but places like this are usually pretty well decked out already,” he said, “and buyers know what they would want to do with the place.”
At 7 feet, 1 inch tall, Shaq was hard to miss around Orlando when he continued to live locally for years, even after he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 1996.
O’Neal, now a basketball analyst for the TNT television network based in Atlanta, hasn’t commented publicly on the listing of his home. He’s moved to Atlanta to be closer to his job.
The features of O’Neal’s home include:
A 1,170-square-foot, two-story great room with marble fireplace and walls of glass
Formal dining room with seating for 16; hand-crafted wood paneling and moldings.
A chef’s kitchen with custom wood cabinetry and 6-foot granite-top cooking island
A coral stone fireplace accenting the kitchen nook and family room.
Soundproof home theater with long bar
Gallery hall designed for an art collection
A “gentleman’s room” with game tables, wet bar, wine refrigerator, sink, ice maker and balcony
Temperature-controlled, cedar-planked humidor and wine storage room Saltwater triangular fish tank Guest wing with five bedrooms
17-car showroom garage and a fitness room
2,100-square-foot secondary garage with dance and recording studios.