Shaq’s New Treehouse Has A Bar And Lounge And Is Bigger Than My Apartment

Kevin Winter/Getty Images


Back when I was in sixth grade, I used to make frequent visits to Billy Hendrickson’s house. Not because we were friends, no, Billy was a tool before I even knew what the definition of a tool was. It was because he had the dopest tree house in town. Looking back, it was just like six wooden planks and some plywood siding, but I’ve never felt more independent in that wooden oasis. I told myself I’d have a treehouse when I get older and flash forward 15 years, my New York apartment is half the size of Billy’s half-baked treehouse.

Sometimes life doesn’t turn out as planned.

There is a show on Animal Planet called Treehouse Masters that reminds me of the imaginative qualities a tree fort can bring to someone’s life. A talented treehouse designer named Pete Nelson and his team construct wildly ambitious treehouses for people and they are true works of art.

On the season finale of Treehouse Masters airing this Friday at 9 p.m., Nelson builds NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal an absurd treehouse complete with a bar, lounge, a poker table, and sky-high ceilings so Shaq’s 7’1” frame can fit comfortably.

Check out the thing of beauty below.

Animal Planet


Animal Planet


Animal Planet


Animal Planet


Animal Planet


Animal Planet


Animal Planet


Check out some of Nelson’s work on his Instagram page.

[h/t Animal Planet/For the Win]

Matt Keohan Avatar
Matt’s love of writing was born during a sixth grade assembly when it was announced that his essay titled “Why Drugs Are Bad” had taken first prize in D.A.R.E.’s grade-wide contest. The anti-drug people gave him a $50 savings bond for his brave contribution to crime-fighting, and upon the bond’s maturity 10 years later, he used it to buy his very first bag of marijuana.