Could Michael Jordan’s brand new Pininfarina Battista Targamerica force Shaquille O’Neal to break his vows? What is the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s commitment and why does Jordan’s purchase put it at risk?
The Chicago Bulls’ icon’s love for engines and tyres can be summed up by the knowledge that he owns the 23XI Racing team, currently competing in the NASCAR Cup Series. If that doesn’t convince you, then the fact that he actually runs the team will should do.
And now the billionaire has just picked up the rare custom-made sportscar worth an estimated $3,279,000 and looks like something that belongs on the set of Christopher Nolan’s famous Batman trilogy instead of in a garage.
The hypercar has four electrical power units to produce up to 1874 horsepower (Formula 1 cars are only around 1000 horsepower) and it possesses five different driveability modes depending on what the owner wants to do with it.
But why might it tempt Shaquille O’Neal? Simply because of how spacious it is for a sports car. Standing at 7ft 1in and weighing around 325lbs, Shaq isn’t your average man and finds it hard to find cars that suit him.
However, Jordan’s car is designed to fit the 6ft 6in six-time NBA champion, meaning that as far as these vehicles go it could house O’Neal quite nicely – especially if he orders his own customized version too.
The problem is that the ex-Laker vowed he would no longer spend any money on cars and homes, but for this bit of equipment he might fork out some extra cash so he can finally go for a spin around Laguna Seca or the Daytona International Speedway.
O’Neal wins $100k Angel Reese bet
With a fortune of around $400m, it’s fair to say that O’Neal can spend some of his cash enjoying the little moments in life such as a friendly wager with a friend and that’s exactly what he chose to do with the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese.
The 22-year-old dared the multi-NBA champion to make a free throw for $100,000 but found herself stunned when the 15-time All-Star effortlessly sunk the basket to claim the cash, which shouldn’t come as a great shock considering he averaged 52.7% from the free throw line as a pro.
“$100,000 if you make this shot,” Reese dared the star, in a video on social media before she added, “I guess I owe him 100K.”