Now listed for $11.99 million, the Royal Oaks estate was once owned by former NBA All-Star Nick Van Exel.
Van Exel, who lived in Houston during NBA off-seasons, spent 13 years playing for various teams including the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs. He earned an All-Star selection with the Lakers in 1998 before retiring in 2006 and later transitioning into coaching.
Van Exel showcased the home on the 2000s-era MTV series that took viewers inside celebrities’ lavish residences.
Located at 3102 Noble Lakes Lane, the home has traded hands multiple times over the years, and most recently sold in December 2025 in an online auction hosted by Concierge Auctions. It was the most expensive home sold in the Houston area that month, with a final sale price between $7.8 million to $9 million, according to HAR.
The current owners decided the sprawling estate, which has undergone about $16 million worth of upgrades over the years, exceeds their long-term needs, according to Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty, which is marketing the listing.
Set on a hillside near by the Royal Oaks Country Club, the mansion overlooks a golf course and lake. It includes a private bowling alley, a 13-seat home theater and an infinity-edge pool, according to Sotheby’s. There’s also a 3,000-gallon aquarium with albino mini sharks, according to the earlier Concierge Auctions listing.
Designed by architect Paul Olson, the home also has two full kitchens, two elevators, a 260-bottle wine display, a sauna and a dedicated barbershop. An entire level of the home is dedicated to a 2,824-square-foot primary closet, which Sotheby’s said may be one the largest single-story residential dressing suites in the country.
The mansion was the third priciest new listing to hit the market in Texas in July, according to the Houston Association of Realtors.
