7-footer Shaquille O’Neal, Whose Father Disciplined Him With a Belt, Explained How He Could Never Speak to Him First

Since his debut in the league in 1992, there has not been one individual in the league who could scare Shaquille O’Neal. The Big Aristotle was in a league of his own.

There was nobody as huge and athletic as O’Neal or since him. But, to top that, he had a mouth in him that knew no limits. And since he retired from the NBA in 2011, the 15x All-Star has been using that talent on the sets of TNT.

Not even the legendary Ernie Johnson can put a cap on The Diesel when he is on a roll. But there was one man who he feared the most, and you might have heard plenty of stories about him already. Let us tell you one more.

Also read: Shaquille O’Neal, Who Received $7 Million for Playing a ‘Genie,’ Reveals the ‘Dr. J Movie’ that Changed his Life

Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t speak in front of his unless spoken to

Shaq was brought up by his biological mother Lucille and stepfather Phillip A. Harrison who was an Army Sergeant. And he remembers most of the lessons Harrison taught him while growing up.

And one of the unspoken rules that his disciplinarian dad had, he didn’t like to be spoken to unless he spoke something first.

O’Neal once tried to break that rule when he was a superstar in the league and faced the same anger from his old man whom he was consulting as he was facing a tough time on the court.

Shaq always had a fear of getting beaten by his father

As huge as he is, O’Neal, even deep into his NBA career always feared Harrison and so he tried avoiding things that would irk his dad who supposedly had a twin brother. It was a belt.

It must obviously be the respect more than fear. Thankfully, his father made him the man he is. Otherwise, we might have been looking at somebody like Ron Artest or Karl Malone in Shaq’s body. Good for the NBA.

Also read: Kevin Durant Likes Tweet Mocking Shaquille O’Neal’s Petty Behavior Toward Dwight Howard Along With the Whole of Taiwan

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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