The Raising Fame podcast by NBA mothers Sonya Curry and Lucille O’Neal brings personal mother-son stories of NBA superstars and their mothers to the forefront. It also becomes a space for expressing heartfelt sentiments that are usually hidden behind the scenes. Earlier this month, Wanda Durant and her son Kevin Durant poured their hearts out on the pod, making for a very emotional episode.
Advertisement
Meanwhile, in the eighth episode of the pod, Shaquille O’Neal joined Sonya Curry to recount some heartwarming stories about his mother, Lucille O’Neal. Shaq recalled how his mother reacted after losing her youngest daughter, Ayesha Harrison-Jex.
Harrison-Jex tragically passed away in 2019 at the age of 40 from cancer. Shaq remembered how his mother wiped her tears after the tragic incident and tried her best to act normal to help her children deal with the loss of their sibling.
O’Neal admitted that his siblings were devastated by their sister’s death, but it was mama Lucille who suffered the most. However, she still tried to put on a veil of strength to console her children during the tough situation.
“It was super special when my sister passed away and she’s [Lucille O’Neal] more concerned about us than us concerned about her. I was kinda upset like she’s always like [strong],” Shaq told Sonya Curry.
“Everybody is crying and going crazy. She’d bring us together and give us the quotes [from the Bible] to bring us back. I know it hurt her more than it hurt us. That’s our sister, but that’s her daughter.”
Shaq couldn’t stand the fact that everybody was crying while his mother was holding back her tears to ensure that she first ameliorated the pain of her children. Therefore, the big fella urged his mother to cry her heart out and leave the task of keeping the family together to him.
“She cried for a couple of seconds and then she see us crying, she got right back in mommy mode. [Shaq said]‘Hey Mommy I am the man in the house, you go ahead and cry, I will make sure,‘” the big fella added.
This story sums up how mama Lucille O’Neal always kept the family safe and happy by protecting them under all circumstances. Shaq realized it clearly after the passing of his beloved sister.
Shaq adored his sister
Shaq used to hang out a lot with his youngest sister when they were in their adolescence. In her book “Shaq Talks Back”, Ayesha Harrison-Jex revealed that Shaq taught her how to swim and hoop. They spent a lot of time together as kids and remained close in their adulthood as well.
Unsurprisingly, Harrison-Jex also shared a close bond with Shaq’s eldest daughter, Taahirah O’Neal. In December 2023, one of Shaq’s fans gifted him a throwback portrait of his sister holding his daughter when she was a kid. The big fella was touched by this gesture and shared a video of the portrait on his Instagram.
In the caption, he mentioned how he thinks about his late sister every day. He also cherished the love his sister had for his family.
Shaq has realized the value of family even more in recent years and has always spoken about spending time with your near and dear ones before they are gone.
