Shaquille O’Neal may be the funny, unhinged guy on basketball television, but behind the scenes, he is as serious a parent as they come. He is the father of six children, three of whom are girls, and just as the NBA taught him plenty about life, being a girl dad has taught him just as much.
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O’Neal, over the years, has been very vocal about how fathering Taahirah, Amirah, and Me’arah not only made him more sensitive and vulnerable but also taught him valuable life lessons about his own existence as a man. This was the topic that O’Neal spoke about on the latest edition of his Big Podcast.
The four-time NBA champ told his guest, SNL icon Keenan Thompson, that being a dad was as valuable an education as the several degrees he went to college for.
“It taught me I can’t bring nothing home,” stated Shaq. Thompson, who is also a girl dad, vehemently agreed. In fact, the Good Burger star shared some of his own wisdom that he inherited when becoming a father.
“Another one is don’t say something and not do it. For some reason, letting them down is the most heartbreaking experience,” stated Thompson, who had Shaq nodding. You can tell that the duo, who are widely successful in their respective fields, are grateful for the experience, especially since they continue to learn.
“The most important thing my kids taught me is that they don’t care. Good game, bad game, they still want to play. They still want to go to Chuckie Cheese. They still want chicken tenders,” Shaq continued.
That must have been a challenge. The NBA is as much of a grind as any other professional league, and the weight of entire franchises sat on Shaq’s shoulders. That is a lot to carry, so when they fell short, it had to be a tough pill to swallow. Setting all of that aside for his kids takes real courage. Fortunately, Shaq always seemed up for the challenge.
“I used to be very upset and come home upset. My ex used to be like, ‘Your girls don’t need you upset.’ So I had to kind of delete it. Or just turn it off. And that was hard for me because when I get upset, I used to tear my whole house up,” the Los Angeles Lakers legend added. Again, this tracks. Shaq may not be with his ex, Shaunie, anymore. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t learn when he needed to.
Shaq’s stories make one thing clear: the lessons that mattered most didn’t come from championships, trophies, or highlight reels. They came from the quiet moments at home.
Fatherhood pushed him to grow in ways the court never could, forcing him to let go of frustration, show real vulnerability, and value the simple joy his daughters brought into his life. Hearing him and Thompson reflect on their shared experiences shows just how universal those challenges can be, even for icons.
And for Shaq, it’s obvious that the love and perspective his kids give him is the one thing even bigger than his legendary career.
