Shaquille O’Neal’s life had many influential people. Among them, perhaps the most notable and the one whose name goes unmentioned is his stepdad, Phillip Harrison.
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For Shaq, there is one thing that he has always tried to impart in his life, discipline. And the one person he learned it from, was his stepdad. Phillip Harrison was an Army Sergeant and he lived his life following strict rules and routines.
His mission in life was to ensure that Shaq himself would not falter on the path to stardom. And his stern and stoic nature would help Shaq find the commitment needed to be great. This particular tale served as a salient reminder to Shaq to never forget his roots and that pressure is nothing.
Phillip Harrison once schooled Shaquille O’Neal and called him a “f**king p**sy”!
Imagine calling your own son degrading names, that would not be acceptable in today’s society, right? The good thing was this was in the 90s and Phillip Harrison didn’t care much about what the world thought.
When Shaq had a sub-par performance against the New York Knicks, his dad called him immediately. “He said get your ass on a f**king plane now,” said Shaq and he knew of the brutal truth his father was about to hand him out.
In an interview with TIME magazine, Shaq said, “He wanted to punch me. He really did. I know he felt like I was 13 or 14 and he wanted to punch me, but he was probably thinking, ‘This motherf**ker is big. He might punch me back.’”.
Harrison took Shaq to a homeless family and said the following, “you little f**king p**sy. You’re making $40 million a year, $30 million in endorsements, that’s 70. Look at these people. They have nothing. That’s pressure. Don’t ever say anything to me about motherf**king pressure again. Get out.”.
Shaq was hurt but more than that he was inspired. He knew now what he had to do. He is even said to have brought the same family housing.
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Harrison’s hardness helped mold O’Neal’s spirit
The Big Diesel is tough on himself and has always been. A big part of that is due to the fact that Harrison has always been the hammer on him.
And for someone with a world of talents like Shaq and a tendency to slip, discipline was necessary. And as fans, we too should be thankful to Mr. Phillip for guiding Shaquille O’Neal and helping him become one of the greatest big men ever.
SHAQ, the docuseries on the life of the Lakers legend is out on Hulu and HBO.
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