Shaquille O’Neal is worth half a billion dollars. He made money through smart investments and timely endorsement deals, but that doesn’t mean O’Neal didn’t blow a little cash on the side. Moreover, he has an “eccentric” personality, almost childlike, as he loves trying over-the-top ideas. One such idea that O’Neal tried, ended up going horribly wrong, as he admitted to killing schools of goldfish in his attempt to build an aquarium behind his $140,000 Mercedes-Benz.
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Recalling the incident in his 2011 book, “Shaq Uncut”, the Lakers legend admitted to regularly “tearing apart” cars to build customized builds, which often went wrong. But this time, Shaq ended up regretting his decision not for financial reasons, but more so due to the harm he caused to the aquatic life living in the back seat of his Benz,
“I put a fish tank in the back through the speakers. They were clear speakers with the tank on the top. I usually had practice at 10:00 a.m., so my bodyguard, Jerome, would put some goldfish in there and I’d drive to practice, and by the time I got there all those fishies were dead. ”
Later on, Shaq admitted to being negligent with his custom build, even forgetting to install air filters in his Benz’s aquarium. But he didn’t give his fish a great chance of survival despite the filters, as the blaring music coming from the car’s speakers was enough to neutralize the fish,
And I think I played the music a little too loud for those poor little goldfish. They probably died of shock.”
The big fella has always been obsessed with cars and music so this experiment is not completely out of context. He also once claimed that he has a special connection with Gorillas worldwide.
Shaq has a unique relationship with Gorillas
Shaquille O’Neal considered himself somewhat of an “alpha” on all the teams he played for, especially in Orlando and Los Angeles. He was dominant, often the team’s voice, the leader of the locker room, and the personification of the word, alpha, in every sense. But he never knew that his tendencies weren’t just recognized by humans, but seemed to also apply to other primates, especially ‘Gorillas’.
Appearing on Logan Paul’s ‘Impulsive’ podcast in 2022, the 7’1″ NBA legend revealed interesting details about his special relationship with Gorillas,
“Every zoo that I went to in the world, all the gorillas look at me and they go crazy. You could laugh it’s okay… So, I go up to them, and I mess with them and they all come to the glass.”
Over the years, Shaq has provided different explanations for the bizarre actions of these primates. He originally revealed that Gorillas see him as “one of them”. He also hypothesized that it might have something to do with his gigantic size, as even Gorillas seem to be afraid of the Big Aristotle. His claims aren’t bogus either, as the former NBA center got his story verified by an executive of ‘Zoo Miami’, even releasing video footage of his “wild” interactions with the establishment’s animals.
