Shaq’s fury over epic Musk fail

Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal has had enough of Elon Musk and his EV giant Tesla and is doing something about it.

He’s 7-foot-1, owns more than 40 custom cars, and treats them like girlfriends, but even Shaquille O’Neal has limits when it comes to electric vehicles.

The NBA legend has revealed why he’s parted ways with not one but two of his Tesla Cybertrucks, and it all comes down to one thing: range anxiety.

The Hall of Famer, renowned for his impressive presence on the court and his remarkable car collection, discussed the transition on a recent episode of “The Big Podcast with Shaq”.

“I was into the Cybertrucks, but they don’t get enough charge mileage,” he said.

“I just got one of those IQ Escalades … I was in Vegas; I ain’t have to charge up for four days.

“My Cybertruck here, if I go downtown to work tonight and come back, I’m gonna be struggling to get back.”

The NBA great has a car collection as legendary as his career, but even Tesla’s futuristic truck couldn’t keep its spot in the garage.

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The Tesla Cybertruck has a range that varies depending on the configuration. The Long Range RWD model, with a soft tonneau cover installed, can travel up to 350 miles (560 km) on a single charge.

The dual-motor AWD version has an estimated range of 325 miles (523 km), and the Cyberbeast, with three motors, is estimated to travel 320 miles (515 km). 

Shaq has purchased three custom built Escalade IQ. Picture: Instagram/shaq

Shaq forgot he order this Escalade IQ. Picture: Instagram/shaq

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But according to Shaq, those figures from Musk’s EV baby are either not quite true or not nearly good enough.

Shaq isn’t on his own here, with many Cybertruck owners claiming the actual real world range of their vehicles falls short of that claimed by Tesla. The car maker had announced the availability of a Cybertruck range extender which it said could enable the car to drive for more than 700km on a single charge. However, according to recent reports, the range extender, which was a $25,000 add-on and would sit in the truck’s rear bed space, has disappeared from sale on Tesla’s website.

SHAQ GOES ALL OUT ON CADILLAC

Instead, Shaq has gone all-in on Cadillac’s new all-electric SUV, the Escalade IQ — recently adding a third one to his garage at over $200,000 apiece.

While the range may have killed Shaq’s Tesla dreams, the move doesn’t signal a slowdown in his obsession with cars; it’s actually far from it.

The former Lakers superstar recently offloaded 10 of his custom rides, not because he’s downsizing, but because he forgot he even owned them.

Shaq has decided to sell two of this three Tesla’s he owned. Picture: Instagram/shaq

With a collection rumoured to top 40 custom vehicles, Shaq’s garage includes everything from muscle cars to an armoured truck and each vehicle has been tailored to fit his frame and his flair.

“I treat them like girlfriends,” he said.

“So, my police car girlfriend, I haven’t seen her in a while, so I’ll probably take her on a date tonight.”

Shaq's custom-built Ram 1500 TRX disguised as an Apocalypse Monster Truck. Picture: Instagram

However, at 7-foot-1-inch, Shaq needs a ride that can contain his entire personality, so his current go-to car is a custom-built Ram 1500 TRX disguised as an Apocalypse Monster Truck.

Originally published as Shaq’s fury over epic Musk fail