No one can deny Shaquille O’Neal’s penchant for success regardless of the field he’s in. He took the keys to his success on the court and translated them perfectly off of it. The secret to both? His mother Lucille.
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Whether it was his business ventures or him turning himself into a pop culture icon, Shaq made sure he gave it his all. The Shaq Fu Master can be seen everywhere. He appears in commercials like The General or Papa John’s. He stars in movies like Steel, Scary Movie 4, and Grown Ups 2.
He does all that while still staying connected to basketball as a host/analyst of Inside the NBA. And of course, he’s an accomplished businessman who owns hundreds of franchises. Shaq did it right.
But one thing Shaq does not like to do is lose focus of why he decided to grow an empire. It wasn’t because he wanted power or to be better than others. O’Neal worked his tail off for one reason and one reason only: to take care of his mom Lucille.
“I do it because I want her to be able to have everything she wants,” stated the four-time champ on the latest edition of his Big Podcast. Shaq’s guest on the show was famed comedian/actor Anthony Anderson, who wondered how many businesses he had a hand in.
“For me it’s not about the haves, it’s about the have-nots. What keeps me focused is to focus on what I did not have,” Shaq answered. Once again, he pointed his finger at what Lucille did to take care of them.
“I used to see this woman wear the [same] pants Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and just change up the shirt. Every Christmas party she had one fancy outfit. Never complained. Never asked for anything. We had one f***ing Dodge Caravan.”
As O’Neal got older, he began appreciating what his mother does more and more. He also realized that she deserved some recognition for her sacrifices. The Diesel then recalled the moment he bought Lucille a house after he became a superstar in Orlando.
“I was like, ‘Hey, how you like this house? She was like, ‘This your house?’ I was like, ‘No it’s your house.’ And before I can give her the keys, ‘How we going to pay for this?’ And I was ready. ‘It’s been paid for already.’ That’s why I work hard,” he somberly stated.
That wasn’t all. Shaq also admitted that as happy he is about his success, one thing he hates to do is talk about it. “I don’t like answering that question because I don’t like bragging all the time. Everybody don’t like us. I don’t want to be sitting here like, ‘I own this, I own that.'”
It’s humbling to hear. While some in society value possessions or money, Shaq always keeps it about the person. He values hard work, good people, and strong relationships over just the number of zeros at the end of a check.
And that’s what makes Shaq’s story so special. Beyond the accolades, the business ventures, and the fame, he’s still rooted in the same love and gratitude that carried him from a cramped home to global superstardom.
Everything he’s built traces back to a son wanting to honor the woman who never stopped working for him. It isn’t loud or boastful; it’s grounded in purpose. Shaq may be larger than life, but at his core, he’s simply a man trying to give his mom the life she always deserved.
