Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most popular basketball players. The 7ft 1″ big man played in the NBA for 19 seasons, during which time he accomplished a lot in the league. He won 4x NBA Championships, 3x Finals MVPs, and a regular season MVP.
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A huge reason behind his success on the court was the discipline the big man had. We all have heard about Shaq doing whatever he wanted. However, that wasn’t the case entirely. Sure, he may not be as dedicated towards training and practice as Kobe Bryant was. However, that doesn’t mean Shaq didn’t do everything in his power to win.
A big credit for O’Neal’s discipline and upbringing goes to his stepfather, Philip Harrison. A military sergeant, Philip wanted Shaq to do something with his life, which often involved tough love.
Shaquille O’Neal still follows his stepfather’s practices
Growing up, Shaquille O’Neal didn’t have the easiest of times. He wasn’t born into money, and had to make his way out of Newark, New Jersey. Basketball was his way out, and that wouldn’t have been possible, if not for his stepfather.
O’Neal has a 4-part docuseries coming out on NBA titled Shaq. In this docuseries, we’d see the entire story behind the Big Diesel, from his childhood, to Orlando, from all the winning and drama in LA, to Miami. For the same, Shaq went on the Ringer, where he was asked about a lot of topics. One of the things he was asked about was his stepfather.
Julian Kimble of The Ringer asked Shaq about the time his stepfather took away his All-Star Game, regular season, and Finals MVP in 2000, and told him he could get them back when he won another title. How much did his disciple keep Shaq hungry and motivated?
O’Neal thought about it and said,
“I still go by his practices today. For example, I have a chef. I say, “You’re only allowed to put one slice of turkey on that sandwich, homie.” I know I make a lot of money now, but it’s the same thing. You have to push yourself, but you have to be honest with yourself and allow other people to be honest with you.”
From growing poor, to getting a net worth of over $400 Million, I guess Shaq benefitted a lot from his dad’s teachings. Sure, his mom had a huge role to play in the same as well.
Shaq used to get beaten up by his stepfather, a lot
Growing up, Shaq wasn’t the easiest of kids. He got into trouble a lot, and his stepfather helped him straighten out. However, his way of doing so wasn’t the best. Shaq used to get beaten up for a lot of reasons. For getting into trouble, for not doing things the way his stepdad wanted.
Despite all of that, Shaq had nothing but love for him. Talking about Philip, Shaq said,
“He never hit me without cause, if it weren’t for him I’d be in prison right now because I was a wise guy, and I did the wrong things, and I was caught up with the wrong kids.”
