“Spent A Weekend In Jail”: Shaquille O’Neal On What Prompted Him To Open Up A Youth Center

Shaquille O’Neal is a shining example of what it means to be more than just an athlete. Recently, at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Shaquille O’Neal sports complex, in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada, Shaq opened up a Youth Center in Las Vegas.

After the inauguration, while talking to the media, Shaq explained what motivated him to open the center. “I’ve been here for 30 years and I want to do something for the people and for the kids,” Shaq said to a journalist during a media scrum.

Many athletes support youth outreach programs because they once needed similar help themselves. Shaq is no different — his motivation for giving back is deeply personal and rooted in his own experiences. “I was a high-level juvenile delinquent and [going to a community center] saved my life,” he said.

The NBA legend then went deeper and shared that he had also been locked up as a teenager. “I actually spent a weekend in jail, and it changed my life. So I never wanted to do that again,” Shaq admitted. “So I would go to the Boys and Girls Club.”

For O’Neal, the Boys & Girls Club of America became a sanctuary that kept him out of trouble. He credited the mentors in the New Jersey sector of the Club, who held him accountable and pushed him in the right direction.

“This lady would just grab me and [say] ‘Go do your homework, [you’re] not leaving till you do your homework,'” Shaq said. Shaquille O’Neal’s acts of kindness have become legendary. Whether it’s buying furniture for a struggling mother or paying off a stranger’s layaway tab, he rarely seeks praise for his generosity.

Shaq is not alone in these types of community efforts. Damian Lillard has also shown support for Boys & Girls Clubs across different cities. From Oakland to Milwaukee, Dame has used his name and money to uplift kids.

The NBA All-Star once donated $50,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Oakland and San Francisco. His long-standing support continues to make a difference for hundreds of children in the area where he grew up.

Shaq learnt parenting techniques from his own parents

In a 2024 interview with TV One, O’Neal reflected on his upbringing. “I was a medium-level juvenile delinquent. I’m very mischievous. I was a follower,” he admitted. O’Neal acknowledged that his behavior often led to being disciplined by his father, who was in the military. But what stuck with him was the method his parents used to guide him, especially the role his mother played afterwards.

“My father would discipline me, but then my mother would come in and explain why I shouldn’t have done it,” he said. “What that taught me is never to make the same mistake twice.”

Shaq’s Youth Center in Las Vegas is more than a building; from his troubled experience as a teenager to becoming an NBA legend, he’s now giving kids the second chance he was once given.