Shaq Throws Down Las Vegas Roots Two Years After Opening Chicken Restaurant

Posted on: September 24, 2020, 04:05h. 

Last updated on: September 25, 2020, 07:35h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Shaquille O’Neal, aka Shaq, has established a home base in Southern Nevada. The former NBA great is paying $765,000 for a Las Vegas pad.

Clark County property records show that the estate, located at 11143 Pentland Downs Street, sold in February. The purchase gives the 48-year-old NBA Hall of Fame member a place to call home while visiting Southern Nevada.

O’Neal’s abode consists of five bedrooms and four baths on 5,440 square feet. The home’s main attraction is its backyard, which features a tiki-style cabana and kitchen, swim-up bar, spa, and waterfall.

O’Neal is the latest celeb to be in the Las Vegas real estate market. In June, disgraced casino billionaire Steve Wynn listed his Summerlin mansion on “Billionaire’s Row” for $25 million. The property is still on the market.

Paragon Gaming co-founder Diana Bennett sold her Henderson estate for $11.25 million last month. Former MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren is searching for a buyer for his Summerlin estate for $10.5 million.

Las Vegas NBA Team?

There was talk about Las Vegas landing an NBA franchise in the wake of the US Supreme Court in 2018 repealing the federal ban on sports betting and sportsbooks expanding into new states.

I would think it would be highly plausible that an NBA team would like to relocate to what’s becoming one of the sports capitals of the US,” said Murren in 2018. “I frankly think it will happen. It’s a pretty fun place to watch sports.”

MGM Resorts owns a 50 percent stake in T-Mobile Arena, home to the NHL Vegas Golden Knights and WNBA Las Vegas Aces. But in 2019, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver squashed Las Vegas’ NBA dreams, saying Vegas and an expansion team is “not on our agenda.”

As for O’Neal’s former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, where he spent eight seasons and won three NBA titles, that team is leading 2-1 in the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. LA is the heavy favorite to win the NBA Championship at -300. Remaining teams: Miami Heat (+350), Nuggets (+1400), and Boston Celtics (+1500).

Shaq played four seasons in Miami and won his fourth title in South Beach. After stops in Cleveland and Phoenix, he played one season, his last, for the Celtics.

Media Mishaps

Shaq opened his first fried chicken restaurant, “Big Chicken,” in Las Vegas during the fall of 2018. The eatery is located near the former Hard Rock, which is in the process of being converted to Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

Big Chicken’s is located at 4480 Paradise Road. And while realtors and businesses have long taken some leniency in dubbing their establishments as being on the Las Vegas “Strip,” Big Chicken is most certainly not. Both the Los Angeles Times and Fox Business wrongly identified Big Chicken as being on the Strip.

Fox Business said Shaq’s Las Vegas home is “near his Big Chicken restaurant on the Strip.” But his home is actually about a 20-minute drive south of the eatery.

Cheap Eats

Our recent coverage on a multimillion-dollar Olive Garden going in on the Strip caused an uproar among readers. Comments on the restaurant going in opposite of Park MGM varied, but many wondered why someone would dine at a chain Italian eatery when Las Vegas casinos are home to some of the best restaurants in the nation.

Well, Shaq’s Big Chicken is another cheap-eats location doing well in Las Vegas. Of the restaurant’s more than 1,000 Google reviews, the average rating is 4.5/5 stars.

The “Shaq Attack,” a fried chicken sandwich with pepper jack cheese, jalapeno slaw, and spicy chipotle BBQ sauce, costs just $12.38 with fries and a beverage.