COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — North Texas has a big new homeowner, literally.
Shaquille O'Neal, the basketball hall of famer and NBA analyst for TNT, has purchased a home in Collin County, his realtor confirmed to WFAA.
No, we don't know where, exactly, the 7-footer will be living (or whether he'll actually be living here full-time). But realtor Zac Gideo said he recently helped Shaq purchase a home in Collin County, posting a picture of the two on Instagram.
Gideo, a realtor with Rogers Healy and Associates Real Estate, said he connected with Shaq through Instagram.
Shaq starred for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat and later played for the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. He never had a career stop in Dallas, but he does have Texas ties, having gone to high school in San Antonio.
In Dallas, he was recently here for a fundraiser for the St. Philip's School and Community Center, a private school that serves elementary students in southern Dallas.
And his latest connection to North Texas might have factored into his purchase here: His Las Vegas-based Big Chicken restaurant chain will enter the DFW and Texas market through a 50-unit franchise development, the Dallas Business Journal reported.