Big Man in Carrollton

Shaquille O'Neal slam dunks into Dallas-Fort Worth with new million-dollar mansion in the 'burbs

Shaq's new shack in Carrollton.

Photo courtesy of Redfin

There's a new Big Man on Campus around North Texas — a really, really big man. NBA icon Shaquille O'Neal has purchased a home in Carrollton ahead of the anticipated expansion of his Big Chicken restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth and across the state.

According to property records, O'Neal purchased the nearly 5,300-square-foot home through an LLC for an undisclosed amount. It had been on the market for $1.22 million, according to Architectural Digest.

Zac Gideo, an agent with Rogers Healy and Associates Real Estate, worked with the NBA Hall of Famer to ink the sale. While Rogers Healy declined to disclose the actual address to CultureMap, it's been reported by several outlets as this property in the exclusive Gates of Prestonwood enclave.

According to the listing, Shaq's new shack features:

five bedrooms, five bathrooms, and two half-baths
huge primary bedroom with a spa-like bathroom
two fireplaces
three living and two dining areas
dream kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances
gated motor court and three-car garage
home theater with leather recliners
backyard oasis with large pool and rock wall waterfall

Architectural Digest calls it "a stone-quoined European-inspired manor" and goes on to gush, "The front door is met with four fluted stone columns and two more Corinthian columns between the foyer and the formal dining room. A gorgeous library/office is wrapped in polished wood paneling and beige marble floors which run throughout the great room. The home features a contemporary fireplace and bright walls of windows that overlook the backyard."

Sounds fab, what time's dinner?

While O'Neal recently sold an estate in Florida, he still has homes in Los Angeles and Atlanta. Because of all his jet-setting, Gideo says, much of the house-hunting work with him was done in the most modern way possible: “I found him the perfect home and most of the process was done virtually — Facetime calls, videos of the property, etc.,” Gideo said in a statement.

O'Neal — a San Antonio native — is no stranger to Texas-sized hospitality. In fact, he's already being neighborly around Dallas.

Upon being spotted handing out cash and meals to people in need and buying a washing machine and TV for shoppers at Best Buy, the 7-foot-1 basketball legend told Page Six, "I just want to make people happy."

Shaq's new shack in Carrollton.

Photo courtesy of Redfin

Shaq's new shack in Carrollton.

celebrities home-for-sale

Home For Sale

50s Dallas home for sale on swanky Strait Lane still has pink bathroom

Divine Premier Properties

Sweeping driveway at 11211 Strait Ln.

A house on Dallas' Strait Lane that is possibly home to the last '50s-era pink bathroom on the tony thoroughfare is up for sale. The bathroom's days are probably numbered — but maybe in this one case, it's not a bad thing.

It's a single-family home located at 11211 Strait Ln., built in 1953, with 3,425 square feet, 4 bedrooms, and 3 bathrooms.

The property first went on sale on October 18, listed at $1,999,900. Two days later, they increased the price to $2,350,000 — maybe spurred on by the fact that the listing has been viewed 812 times, as of October 25.

The Strait Lane area is one of the richest streets in Dallas, home to the likes of the Perot family and ex-president George Bush. The area is not known for pink bathrooms. The current owners bought the house in 2021 after it sat on the market for a year, and they've tried to sell it four times since. (They also own the empty lot next door.)

It's at the corner of Northaven Road, above Royal Lane and not as ritzy as below Royal Lane where Perot et al lives. But it's still Strait Lane and it sits on 1.02 acres. According to the listing from Divine Premier Properties:

Divine Premier Properties

Sweeping driveway at 11211 Strait Ln.

"Eleven Two Eleven Strait Lane is unique. In 70+ years, it looks like there have only been two owners. The value is in the land. The original house could be renovated but will likely be torn down - time will tell, but it is not really about the house. It is about the swanky address and the location. It is about the potential and the future. And, it is about the endless possibilities. Seize this opportunity - lots on Strait Lane do not come on the market often!!"

The listing doesn't even bother describing the ranch layout, retro shiny brick floor entry, hardwood floors, stacked formal dining room, or enclosed porch with nice stone floor.

No mention either of the awkward updates that seem like they were made a decade ago: the strange gray stucco facade on the fireplace, the kitchen do-over with dark granite countertops. They should've just kept the original '50s stuff.

Two of the three bathrooms have been updated with colored granite: one dark green, the other a salmon brown.

But they did keep one bathroom original and it's pink. However, of all the pink bathrooms in the world, this is not the best. It's a salmon pink, not a bubblegum pink, and it's a mottled tile, the kind with the white swirls, popular in the early '50s in less swanky neighborhoods

It's true to its period, and it's still in perfectly good condition. Even in its mottled state, it's more timeless than whatever else will end up being built in its place. But it's not a pink bathroom that is easy to champion.

So here lies a pink bathroom, less pretty than others, likely to be razed, RIP.

celebrities home for sale