“Lions and Tigers Out in the Front Driveway”: Shaquille O’Neal Once Brought the Zoo to His House in Miami For an Over the Top Party

Everything Shaquille O’Neal does in life emulates his larger-than-life lifestyle. Whether it is about spending on himself by buying huge mansions or helping those in need, Shaq goes all out. In his book, ‘Shaq Uncut‘, the four-time NBA champion talked about hosting some of the most extravagant parties in his Miami house in 2011. One of those parties had a zoo theme and he got real animals to attend it.

Shaquille O’Neal’s kids loved going to the zoo, and the player would take them quite often. So, when he decided to host a zoo theme party, he rang up the owner of a zoo and asked if he could borrow the animals.

“We had some great parties at our house on Star Island. I used to take my kids to the zoo once a week, and I got to be friendly with the owner. I convinced him to let me have a zoo party, and he brought all the animals to the house.”

When the guests rolled up to the house of the NBA superstar, they were in for a surprise. The driveway leading up to the house had exotic animals welcoming the guests.

Shaq wrote, “When people drove up, there were the lions and tigers out in the front driveway in their cages so people could take pictures with them.”

It did not end there. The NBA player further revealed that he had camels and elephants roaming around his massive property. In a daring move, he let the monkeys run wild on his property too. He also set up a big stage for the people to dance and enjoy themselves while they also relish the zoo experience.

Shaq being Shaq did something out of the box again by hosting one of the most adventurous parties. But the invite to animals from Shaq was not only for fun, but it also highlights the love the Lakers legend has for animals. Once, Shaq had two white tigers as pets.

Shaquille O’Neal owned two white tigers

Shaq’s fascination with exotic animals grew much before the zoo-themed party he had hosted. In 2010, the NBA player bought two white tiger cubs and raised them on his property. Though Shaq had to return the animals to the zoo after the party was over he still had his white tigers with him. However, he was unable to keep them for too long.

In 2015, the NBA champion gave the tigers to a man named – Tiger Dave, who was responsible for taking care of the animals. They went to live on a farm in Jacksonville which was more suited to their natural habitat.