Los Angeles Lakers living legend Shaquille O’Neal faced brutal beatings from his father for almost killing a child.
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Shaquille O’Neal is an immensely successful athlete. His viciousness and strength had no match. Inside the paint, O’Neal was a menace. He could go toe to toe with any center or forward and emerge victorious.
Having led the Lakers to a three-peat, Shaq is an LA legend. Yet, long before his unchallenged supremacy, O’Neal was just a vulnerable child.
He came from a financially challenged family, with dreams of becoming rich. Back then, no one knew Shaq would reach such heights. And He was regularly beaten up by his father for stepping out of the line.
The vicious cycle of breaking rules and getting trashed by his father turned O’Neal into a bully. On one occasion, Shaq beat up a kid so badly, the kid went into a seizure.
O’Neal: “So I’m beating this kid up and I’m kicking this kid and he has an epileptic seizure. It’s just me and the kid and he’s on the ground shaking. Now, I’m frightened. A guy comes and saves the kid. I got home and got disciplined and my mother said, ‘You’re too big and too strong. You can’t ever do that again.’ That kinda stayed with me. I didn’t want to do that anymore. Let me go to Plan B. I was always the class clown, funny guy. So I just stuck with that rather than being a bully.”
Also read: Shaquille O’Neal Turned 7-foot Tall at 14 Years of Age As a Sophomore in High School
Shaquille O’Neal’s father responded harshly to the episode
The Big Aristotle, in his book Shaq Uncut, revealed the aftermath.
He wrote: “My father beat me silly for that. Everytime he hit me, he said, “You idiot! You could have killed that kid. You’d be in jail the rest of your life.”“
Shaquille O’Neal believed his father, despite beating him up regularly, wasn’t violent. According to the 7’1″ center, his father’s actions made him who he is.
The reason sarge beat up Shaq so much was because he did not want his son to turn out to be another version of him. He wanted his son to be better than his father.
Though it doesn’t justify the brutal beatings he gave his son, it clearly highlights how the man thought. For him instilling the fear of authority and the need to be better as a human were of utmost importance.
He wanted Shaq to become successful without being brought down by his own self-destructive tendencies. His methods were definitely violent and heart-wrenching. But for Shaq, they still hold meaning.
Do you think Shaq is right in justifying his father’s actions?
Also read: “It’s just disrespectful”: LeBron James was furious with a child for throwing trash at Bronny James
