Lucille O’Neal instilled many ideals in Shaquille O’Neal that kept his feet on the ground despite his superstar status. Shaq holds his mother in high esteem and credits her for raising him the right way. Therefore, Mama Lucille, who is responsible for the upbringing of four children, has a lot of valuable lessons to impart from her experience of raising successful children. Her 2018 memoir “Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go” encapsulates her hard-fought journey as a mother of four children.
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During the Essence Fest, the host of a panel featuring Mama Lucille brought up her 2018 memoir and asked her how she was able to navigate through the hardships of single motherhood while raising Shaq and his siblings.
The 69-year-old remarked that she got the inspiration from the Bible to stand tall in the face of suffering. Lucille’s own mother had emphasized Proverbs 3: 5, and 6, so that her faith in God enables her to overcome tenuous situations.
As per the Holy Bible, the proverbs are translated as, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Believing in God’s plan helped Lucille O’Neal look at the bigger picture. It reassured her in tough times that she can’t control her circumstances and God is in control of her destiny. So she just trusted God’s intentions instead of complaining about her circumstances.
Mama Lucille told the host of the panel,
“I remember the lessons that my own mother taught me. And she always beat me with scriptures from the Bible. She taught me Proverbs 3: 5 and 6… It made me strong, because I knew that God was in charge, he has the masterplan not Lucille.”
There's no magical rule book for raising superstars like Shaq & Steph Curry. Even their parents lean on foundational principles as they raised their kids in this society.
Message Received. pic.twitter.com/DBZfHoo9jq
— ESSENCE Festival (@essencefest) August 5, 2024
This lesson did wonders for her children, especially for Shaquille O’Neal. He fought through various adversities and became a household name in the basketball world while building an enviable business empire.
But not much is known about Shaq’s three siblings, who were his half brothers and sisters. His stepfather Philip Harrison was their biological father. Despite that, O’Neal built close bonds with them.
His elder sister Ayesha Harrison-Jex passed away in 2019 at the age of 41 due to cancer. She was buried next to her father. Harrison-Jex had a BA and an MBA degree, which is not surprising considering Harrison took the education of his children seriously.
The Inside the NBA crew gave their condolences as Shaq missed an episode of the show to mourn her demise. Meanwhile, there is little to no information available about his two other siblings, Jamal Harrison and Lateefah Harrison.
