“Punched A Hole Right Through It”: When Shaquille O’Neal Delt with Loss of Grandma By Destroying Church Property

Shaquille O’Neal had to face profound grief on 2nd April 1996 following the demise of his grandma, Odessa Chambliss. During that time, the NBA icon found an uncommon outlet for his misery as he openly destroyed church properties. Decades after the event, Diesel shed light on the intricate details of how he dealt with the loss in his 2011 memoir Shaq Uncut.

Following his loss, Shaq had willingly detached himself from his then-franchise, the Orlando Magic, for about a week. It resulted in him missing out on featuring in an away victory against the New York Knicks, and a home defeat to the Boston Celtics. The Big Aristotle prioritized staying by the side of his grandmother in Atalanta as she took her last breath.

Following the unfortunate incident, Shaq contributed to the funeral while coping with the loss. He revealed how the entire event was pre-planned by his grandmother, including the minute details such as the flowers and the music. Despite attempting to hold back his emotions, the New Jersey-born eventually failed as he found a surprising method to navigate his grief.

“I tried to hold it together, but I couldn’t. I was so mad she was gone I took it out on the church door. I hauled off and punched a hole right through it. I was lucky I didn’t break my hand,” he mentioned.

Shaq’s candid acceptance of the challenges surrounding the entire situation displayed his authenticity. While his decision to damage properties remained a controversial move, it showcased the rawness of his emotions. Eventually, the NBA center found his way out of the sorrow with encouragement from his mother, Lucille O’Neal.

How Shaquille O’Neal recovered from the loss

As per Sports Illustrated, Lucille urged his son to feature in the Magic’s following NBA game against the Chicago Bulls. Shaq kept her word as he flew to Orlando forcing the then-head coach Brian Hill to alter his plans. Eventually, the center entered the court in the second quarter to register 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists in 33 minutes.

After the conclusion of the game, the 1993 ROTY shed light on the decision while crediting his mother for the occurrence. “She paged me. I thought something else was wrong. But she said, ‘You need to go play. Stop sitting around crying,'” he stated.

Despite the Magic losing the clash 86-90, it helped Shaq refocus on his craft. It also served as a major turning point for his career. The franchise finished second in the conference to eventually reach the conference finals. Interestingly, it also marked his last few months in Orlando ahead of the pivotal shift to Los Angeles.