Earlier this evening, I spent several minutes wondering whether I could afford a pizza when we're still two weeks from payday and I've already pissed away most of my money on booze. This is not a situation Shaquille O'Neal will ever find himself in, thankfully. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
However, the NBA legend did try his very best to leave himself skint by spending $1 million (£690,000) in about 45 minutes when he signed his first big-money contract with the Orlando Magic.
"The first thing I wanted to do was relieve my parents of their jobs," O'Neal told CNN.
"I (spent) a million dollars in about 45 minutes, but it was well worth it.
"My momma is happy, her house is paid for; she had the car that she knows she would never get in her dreams, a Mercedes-Benz. My father (had) one, I had one. I was good.
"But now you have to educate yourself on how to maintain that, and a lot of people don't do that."
Shaq took a friend's advice and got help managing his money, and he's now worth a reported $350 million (£240 million).
"You want cars, you want diamond earrings, you want jewellery," he said.
"Do whatever you want (with the other 25%)."
"But it's hard. Guys got families, girlfriends, stuff like that. But, a guy taught me that in 1995 and it worked, it worked for me."
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