Shaquille O’Neal and his connection to his family are legendary. Growing up in a house full of family members, combined with his parents’ teachings, O’Neal grew fond of everyone around him.
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Especially with women. Shaq was as fond of his grandma as he was of his mother. In fact, during the 2000 playoffs, when the Lakers faced Portland in Western Conference Finals, O’Neal imagined Odessa to calm down.
According to O’Neal, his grandma’s lap was his safe space. Just imagining her helped Shaq find his bearings even during one of the most stressful moments of his life.
So, it was only natural that when Shaq became rich, he wanted to take care of Odessa. In fact, O’Neal was so fond of her that he wanted to gift his grandmother something extravagant. Her response, however, pleasantly shocked him.
Shaquille O’Neal Wanted to buy Odessa a $6 million house
In his book Shaq Uncut, Diesel was talking about buying houses for his family. The one he brought for his mother, Lucille, and Sarge was especially unique and previously owned by another athlete.
Apparently, while talking to the mailman, O’Neal came to know that a former player from Green Bay Packers had lost his money and wanted to get rid of his house. So, Shaquille O’Neal took his mother to the place and when she liked it, he brought it for her and his stepfather Philip Harrison.
After he revealed the story of buying a house for his mother, O’Neal then shared how he bought his grandma a house as well. Shaq claimed that when he got his paycheck from Magic, he wanted to buy her a $6 million house. But instead, Odessa settled on a much more humble place. Shaq bought it for her immediately.
Shaq: “My mom is such a kind, caring person and she doesn’t get impressed by anything. She’s sort of like my grandmother Odessa. When I got my first paycheck from the Magic I wanted to buy my grandmother a $6 million house. She said, “No, baby, there’s a nice house down the road there, it will do just fine.” So I bought her that house and fixed it up for her.”
O’Neal also forced a Mercedes on his mother
O’Neal claimed that when he decided to get his mother a Mercedes Benz, she asked him to get her a $20,000 used truck instead. For Lucille, it meant one and the same thing. However, Shaq remained adamant and handed his mother the keys to a brand-new Benz.
