Towering basketball talent and Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neil recently picked up an investment property in Bell Canyon, California, for $1.8 million. The retired NBA player paid about $350K under the asking price, snapping up the home after about five months on-and-off the market that had ended with a relist in January.
The home’s architectural style is hard to pin down, but looks vaguely European country-cottage, with a turret entrance and foyer, rusticated stone and exposed timber accents, and a bit of mullion here and there. Modern windows and steel roof contradict the period-inflected flourishes somewhat, keeping it contemporary and, to some extent, stylistically unaffiliated.
The residence extends to a little more than 5,200 square feet, with five bedrooms and five baths throughout. Interiors work with dramatic fundamentals—black and white—and stray into gray-scale. A living-room fireplace with raised hearth, semi-circular second-floor gallery, vaulted ceilings with exposed beams, and built-ins warm things up a bit on the first floor.
The second floor features a master suite with fireplace, and a variegated ceiling that begins with vaulted tongue-in-groove, moves to incorporate a small private sitting room, and finally extends to the rear turret that defines the Jacuzzi tub alcove in the master bath. A private second-floor balcony opens from the master suite.
The property extends to a full acre, with a nicely-engineered stretch of green, tropical landscaping, fire feature, patio with grill station, and small but well-executed lagoon-style pool with child-safe border.
Fourteen-time All-NBA player and U.S. Olympic Team member O’Neil spent eight seasons with the Lakers. He also played with the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat.