Being an NBA superstar has its upsides, but it often comes with a lot of downsides that no one talks about. One of the major problems that fame brings, is people digging into your past and trying to invade your personal life.
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Something similar happened to Shaquille O’Neal when he was visiting Chicago back when he was still in college. Recalling the incident, in his book Shaq Uncut, O’Neal said,
“I was in Chicago on business and I was walking down the street and some guy said to me, “Yo, man. That’s messed up. How come you don’t talk to your dad?”
Shaq was surprised by the question and had no idea about it, so he went to his mother, Lucille O’Neal and asked,
“What did Daddy do? Was he on TV?” She said, “No, it was the other one.” She meant Joe Toney, the person who insisted he was my father even though I had not seen him since I was a little boy. He had gone on the Ricki Lake Show and complained that I wouldn’t have anything to do with him.”
Shaq was furious upon hearing these words from his biological father. A man who had abandoned his mother Lucille as an 18-year-old girl had no place in Shaq’s life. Joe Toney hadn’t contacted Shaq for 18 years, and now wanted a piece of him, now that the money and fame had started rolling in.
But this wasn’t the bud of Shaq’s anger, as O’Neal felt worse for his mother. Lucille O’Neal had Shaq when she was just 18, without a steady pay, and no one where to go. For her…the pain wasn’t just something in the past…but something very real, something that lived with her every single day, and Shaq didn’t appreciate Joe Toney bringing those hurtful memories to the public eye.
Shaq even wrote a rap called ” Biological Didn’t Bother”, giving props to his step-father Sgt. Phillip Harrison, while also taking shots at his biological father, for bringing an absentee.
Writing about the song in the book Shaq Uncut, O’Neal said,
“I don’t know what Joe Toney expects when he walks out on an eighteen-year-old girl and her newborn baby. He’s living in an old folks’ home now and he still tries to send messages to me but I can’t deal with that. I’m loyal. Phil Harrison made me who I am, for better or for worse. That’s it. It’s nothing personal. Philip Harrison is my father and my daddy. Period. Point-blank.”
The lyrics of the song “Biological Didn’t Bother ” certainly hit deep. A problem that isn’t just unique to Shaq, as many players such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant faced a similar problem, growing up in below-poverty neighbourhoods, raised by single mothers as they ground their way to superstar status.
Shaquille O’Neal finally makes peace with his father
Shaquille O’Neal never ended up meeting his biological father Joe Toney until the passing of his ‘step-father’ Phillip Harrison. Once his Harrison passed, it was Shaq’s mother who insisted that her son meet his real father, Joe Toney.
Back in 2019, while shooting a podcast with Dr Phil, O’Neal revealed how he met his biological father, 44 years after he had walked out on him and his mother Lucille.
Talking about it further, Shaq said,
“It ain’t about what happened. Cause I’ve learned you can’t judge a man. I don’t judge. He had some problems when he was young. I don’t judge him. I don’t fault him. My thing now is just that as long as we’re both here, we just get to know each other.”
Shaq would soon make peace with what happened between his father and him, as he would meet him at one of his favourite soul food restaurants in Virginia, also taking his eldest daughter( Taahirah O’Neal) along with him.
