It takes a big man with deep pockets to spend $1.3 million a month — on expenses so extravagant they'd make Paris Hilton jealous.
Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal is that man. Consider his monthly expenditures:
—$156,116 on mortgages.
—$110,505 on vacations.
—$60,417 on gifts.
—$26,560 on baby sitters.
—$24,300 on gasoline.
—$22,190 on maids.
—$17,220 on clothes.
—$12,775 on food.
On top of that, the tax man gets his share: O'Neal, 35, pays about $500,000 a month in income taxes.
The details of O'Neal's checkbook were revealed this month as part of his ongoing divorce from Shaunie O'Neal. They filed in September to end their five-year marriage. The couple has four children, and each partner has one child from previous relationships.
The divorce proceedings have come during the most difficult season of O'Neal's 16-year NBA career. He has missed nine of the past 13 games with inflammation in his left hip and thigh, an injury that will keep him out of action for at least another two weeks and possibly the rest of the season.
He also is averaging a career-low 14.2 points and 7.8 rebounds this season for the Heat, which has the worst record in the Eastern Conference and has lost 15 consecutive games — two shy of the franchise record.
O'Neal has been unwilling to discuss his off-the-court issue.
"It's something that I won't discuss now, won't discuss 10 years from now, won't discuss ever," O'Neal said earlier this season. "If I ever do have a bad game or a bad couple of games, I won't blame it on that. It's something that I obviously have to deal with and I'm going to deal with it the best way possible."
But don't worry about O'Neal's financial well-being — he has plenty to pay the bills at his Star Island mansion and beyond. O'Neal is the second-highest paid NBA player, behind the Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett, at $20 million a year. He listed his monthly income at $1.8 million — $1.6 million in Heat salary and $220,000 in business investments and endorsements.
On top of his basketball duties, the 7-foot-1, 325-pound O'Neal also is a reserve Miami Beach police officer. But O'Neal's not getting rich as a cop — he volunteers for that duty.