When one thinks of Shaquille O’Neal, we often imagine either his on-court dominance or his goofy demeanor on TNT. Shaq has always been known to go the extra mile to make someone smile. His upbringing played a significant role in shaping the person he is today. As a result, O’Neal had to sacrifice one aspect of his life, his own emotions.
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It’s hard to imagine a 7-foot-1, 325-pound giant being overly emotional. Of course, O’Neal experiences emotions such as happiness and joy, but when it comes to feelings such as sorrow, that isn’t something he is familiar with.
The question becomes, how does someone develop these toughened emotions? For Shaq, his stepfather is the reason. Sgt. Philip Harrison was a military man who instilled those traits in the way he parented O’Neal.
Shaq’s toughness on and off the court is a direct byproduct of Harrison’s teachings. That is why, even in an unfortunate moment such as the end of the NBA on TNT, O’Neal didn’t feel emotional.
“I don’t get emotional,” O’Neal said on The Pivot Podcast. “Am I sad that the show is leaving? Yes, but I’ve been programmed to do something new after every four years.”
O’Neal’s comments make it seem as if he has never shed a tear in his life. That is far from the case. The only thing is, he can count on one hand all the moments in his life when he has cried.
“I’ve only cried twice,” O’Neal said initially. He immediately corrected himself and revealed it was three times. “Grandmother’s death, father’s death, and sister’s death.”
Understandably, O’Neal would be overcome with emotion after losing such close people in his life. But Shaq goes on to reveal that those tears came from a different place in his heart.
“[I cried] not because I was sad because I forgot to tell them thank you,” O’Neal revealed. That is the only regret that O’Neal has, specifically with his grandmother. Unlike others in his childhood, his grandmother did not discipline her for his delinquent ways.
“I got to fulfill my grandmother’s favorite wish… So one day I said, Grandma, when I get rich, I’m going to buy you a house. You know what she says? I want that house across the street. It was a house across the street. I grew up at 100 Oak Street in Jersey City. She wanted 93.”
O’Neal explained how he was able to do things for them, buy them stuff, but he could never thank them. “So I got to do things for them, but I never got to tell them thank you. So that’s why I cry. Bro, we live, we die. Everybody has to die.”
O’Neal had the opportunity to do things for them, which he will remember for the rest of his life. His emotions remain the same, but he doesn’t make the same mistake and ensures to tell those he loves thank you whenever he has the chance.
