There is no denying the greatness of Shaquille O’Neal. He is, after all, one of the greatest to ever play the game of basketball. But despite his skill and dominance on the court, Shaq certainly struggled off the court to maintain intimate relationships.
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What happened with Shaunie, the entire cheating debacle was shocking proof that O’Neal was flawed too. He hurt Shaunie with his infidelity but most of all he hurt his children by cheating on their mother.
It was harsh on them. Perhaps even harder on Shaquille O’Neal who clearly loves all his children and that even includes Shaunie’s son Myles, who was born before his mother married O’Neal. And long before O’Neal ended up paying his ex-wife Shaunie $50,000 a month in child support, Shaq, without a second thought, accepted Myles as his own son and even wrote about it in his book.
Shaquille O’Neal accepted Myles as his own son
Of course, Shaq’s cheating cannot be defended by any means. What he did was undeniably wrong and hurtful. But before he did so, before he ruined his marriage by getting involved with other women, Shaquille O’Neal treated Shaunie with the utmost respect.
But the most respectable thing he did after his marriage to Shaunie was easily his acceptance of Myles. By taking him as his own son, and even giving him his last name, Shaq truly accepted the now-famous DJ. The 7ft 1″ Lakers legend shared his heartfelt love for Myles in his book Shaq Uncut.
Shaq: “Myles is a teenager now. My ex-wife, Shaunie, already had Myles when I met her, but he’s one of mine, as far as I’m concerned. He’s a very smart kid, a reader, a real thinker. He’s been the ultimate big brother to his younger siblings.”
In a way, Diesel disregarded the past Shaunie and Myles brought with them and envisioned a future they could have together. Unfortunately, that future with Shaunie was cut short because of his affairs but he has managed to maintain the same father-son bond with Myles, who considers O’Neal his father instead of his biological dad.
Shaq’s relationship with Myles was perhaps influenced by Philip Harrison
Like Myles, Shaquille O’Neal too was a stepson to Philip Harrison. Lucille had O’Neal before she met Harrison. However, he readily accepted the freakishly big kid as his own and dedicated his life to his stepson’s success.
Perhaps this is what played a role in O’Neal’s treatment of Myles. He remembered how Harrison loved him as his own, remembered how important it was for his younger self, and even his unbelievably popular adult self. Heartwarming to see O’Neal be an example to stepfathers around the world just as his own stepfather was.
