Previously Unseen Aerial Footage of Shaquille O’Neal’s Former $28 Million Mansion Showed Off by Close Friend

What’s it like inside the ‘Shaq-a-pulco’? Only a handful know. But Shaquille O’Neal’s best friend showed what it’s like over the expansive property. Derrick Mallet, O’Neal’s righthand man, suffered a minor drone-related accident recently. He, however, managed to capture astounding footage of one of the real estate tycoon’s most famous residences.

Shaq once expressed he didn’t feel at home on this massive property. He sold the estate two years ago. But apparently, his friend does visit the place.

Shaquille O’Neal’s friend gives a bird’s eye view of Orlando estate

Among Shaquille O’Neal’s massive real estate portfolio was a sprawling 31k square foot property in Orlando, Florida. Nicknamed the ‘Shaq-a-pulco’ for its size, the mansion is worth an estimated $28 million.

His business partner and friend, Derrick Mallet, was at the property recently with his kids experimenting with their drone. They almost lost their expensive toy but retrieved it with spectacular footage of the Shaq-a-pulco. Mallet shared the aerial view of the mansion on Instagram, leaving his fans in awe at the closest view of the estate.

“S/O to my guy @reesedaquin as he was messing around with 2 of my kids (HAHA) at Shaq-A-Pulco with his famous FPV DRONE the QAV-s! Must watch till the end when a palm tree took out his drone when he lost video reception after dipping below the roof line and then lost control! Luckily the drone was retrieved and palm tree suffered minor damages,” he wrote.

Then Orlando Magic rookie, O’Neal, bought the lakefront property for $3.95 million in 1993. The mansion boasted of NBA-grade basketball court, room for thirty cars, and a Superman statue. But a soundproof home theater, the Shaq-cave, a wet bar, an aquarium, and a custom waterfall didn’t make him happy.

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After much hardship and a big loss, Shaq detached from the Shaq-a-pulco. Yet he couldn’t fully sever his ties with his biggest real estate splurge.

Shaq’s attachment to Orlando home

After retiring from the NBA in 2011, the same year he finalized his divorce from Shaunie Henderson, Shaquille O’Neal was disenchanted with his Orlando mega-mansion. He admitted that he felt depressed in the home and decided to list the Shaq-a-pulco for sale in 2018.

The initial price was $28 million. But after five realtor switches, it finally sold in 2021 for only $11 million. The new owners are a dentist and his family.

It’s unclear what brought Derrick Mallet to the no-longer-Shaq-a-pulco. It, however, remains as larger-than-life jaw-dropping as it always has been.

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