Even as a teenager, Shaquille O’Neal was a force. At just 16, he stood 6-foot-10, had unmatched athleticism, and carried himself like a future star. He dominated his peers with ease. Shaq was a lot for high school kids to handle. He also had a strong support system behind him, especially his father, Phil Harrison, who was proud but firm.
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At the age of 16, Shaq was called the “best in the country” in an article. One can imagine what such recognition can do to a young athlete’s mind. Shaq’s confidence soared.
While Shaq’s father must’ve felt incredibly proud that his son was being recognized for his talent, he also saw a major problem with that title. He believed that it could lead to Shaq being overconfident and losing focus. So, he decided to take matters into his own hands and did something that Shaq believes was “one of the best things” that his dad ever did for him.
On an episode of The Big Pod, Shaq said, “He took me up to the gym to play with them college boys.” Guys who were 2 to 3 years older, stronger, and more experienced. Shaq, still just 16, was tossed around, dunked on, bullied, and embarrassed. It was a wake-up call. While young Shaq was getting hit with reality checks, his father was having a great time at the gym.
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“18 and 19, mother****rs were dunking on me and pushing me around and bullying me around. He was just sitting there, laughing his a** out,” Shaq said. On the ride back home, his father looked over and said, “You ain’t that good.” Shaq needed to be humbled at the time, else he’d have taken the article’s claims too seriously.
He was about to graduate from high school at 17 and was going to college after that, where he’d have to play against the same age group that just humiliated him. That experience shaped the way Shaq approached the game from that point forward. By the time he enrolled at LSU, he already knew what the next level felt like.
Shaq knew that as good as he was in high school, college basketball was on a totally different level. And since he wanted to dominate college as well, he held on to the lesson at the gym and worked harder at LSU. That laid the foundation for the dominant player he became when he joined the NBA.
