Shaquille O’Neal has worked to the top to become one of the greatest NBA players and build a net worth of around $400 million. However, the big man did not achieve all this money and fame within a day. Through the values his parents instilled, Shaq learned the responsibilities of holding such an enormous amount of wealth. In an appearance on the Dear Fathers podcast, the Big Aristotle discussed how he handles his wealth when it comes to his children inheriting it.
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Shaq does not want his children to be spoiled with his hard-earned money but rather learn the values of humility and modesty he picked while growing up. In the podcast, Shaq talked about taking his son Shareef to a wealth conference and used the example of the Walmart family making their children work at the stores as a psychological test before putting them in higher positions.
Another example used by the big fella was of the Miami Heat’s owner’s son, Nick Arison, being made to work his way to the top despite being an heir to a $250 million fortune from his grandmother at 18 years of age.
While Shaq was playing for the Heat, he often noticed the young Nick Arison cleaning the toilets despite being the son of the franchise’s owner. When Shaq approached Micky Arison to enquire about Mike, the Heat owner wittily replied how everyone was supposed to start from the bottom.
Despite his son being heir to a $250 million fortune and the Heat franchise, Micky Arison wanted to instill humility in his son as his father did by making him work at shipyards. Before being named the CEO of the Miami Heat in 2011, Arison worked in several roles, including sales and VP of basketball operations, before assuming the top role assigned by his father.
Shaq employs the same with his six children and wishes to instill the same values of modesty and humility. He has clarified that his children would only deserve a part of his wealth if they earned two educational degrees. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why we can call Shaq a doting father.
Shaquille O’Neal has different standards set for both his sons and daughters
From the above example, we may all feel that Shaq has employed a method of tough love for all of his six children. However, as it appears, the big man tends to have a softer side for his three daughters than his three sons. In an episode of The Pivot Podcast, the 4x NBA champion admitted that he liked his girls “a little bit better” than his three sons.
Shaq has set different standards for his boys as he finds his daughters more sensible and caring than his sons. “I tell my boys, when y’all get 18, you all got to go. Girls can stay as long as they want,” said the Big Fella, setting clear distinctions of favoring among his six children. Comparing the same to his sons, Shaq said, “You know how boys are. My boys, you bring something right in front of them and they’re gone.”
Shaq shares four children with his ex-wife Shaunie Henderson – Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah. He also shares his daughter Taahirah with former girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh and is a stepfather to Myles, who is Shaunie’s son from her previous relationship.
