Over the years, Shaquille O’Neal has talked extensively about his stepfather, Phillip A. Harrison, and how he has deep respect for him for preventing him from becoming a juvenile delinquent. Shaq admires his drill sergeant father for what he stood for and what he did to instil discipline in him. However, Shaq revealed that Harrison wasn’t a perfect man himself at the beginning.
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Like most people, he had to learn a few things the hard way. During an appearance on the GOAT TALK podcast, Shaq admitted that his stepfather was a juvenile delinquent before he met his mother, Lucille O’Neal. Although his activities were questionable at the time, Harrison still had his heart in the right place.
Shaq added that Harrison decided to let go of his past and become a responsible man for the woman he wanted to be with. Shaq said, “My father was a heavy juvenile delinquent who realized when he met my mother and I that he had to become a man, join the army.”
The drill sergeant also wanted to mend his ways to set an example for Shaq and his siblings, so that they didn’t go the wrong way. This made Harrison a strict father, but that was exactly what the O’Neal family needed at the time.
During an interview with Graham Bensinger, Shaq had said, “I respect a man that walks into a city hall, meets a lady. The lady has a son, he says, ‘So what?’ He takes the lady and his son in and brings in his two daughters, and they have a family, and they raise a family. I respect the man.”
Shaq’s stepfather was the person who also introduced the big fella to the sport that’d later make him a superstar. Harrison also taught him a lot of valuable lessons about life in general.
Shaquille O’Neal learned how to care for others
Shaq is one of the most generous celebrities out there. He regularly gives money to people, buys them things, and spreads love and joy. This is what makes him such a generous and likeable person. But Shaq’s admirable quality was actually influenced by his step father.
Harrison regularly helped the homeless, which the big fella picked up as a habit when he came into money.
During the conversation with Bensinger, Shaq recalled that he once went out with Harrison to get some cheeseburgers. On the car ride back home, the sergeant spotted a homeless person and pulled over. He checked with the stranger only to find out that he was an army veteran.
Caught up in emotion at the moment, he ended up giving all the cheeseburgers and an additional $20 to the homeless man. Shaq said, “He gets in the car and he slams the door and he’s got a little tear in his eyes and he just looks and said, ‘If you ever make it big time, make sure you help those in need.’”
Shaq’s stepfather would be proud of how Shaq has turned out to be.
