Shaquille O’Neal is larger than life figure in the history of the NBA. There aren’t many that compare to Shaq when it comes to being dominant or memorable. Since his early days in the league, Shaq has been a superstar, something that has not changed following his retirement; his transition into media work was as smooth as anyone’s has ever been. Shaq is now a well-loved part of the Inside The NBA crew and a respected analyst.
O’Neal has also succeeded in other walks of life, he is a businessman, a DJ, and he even has a Ph. D to his name. The Big Diesel has had a lot of success in most of the things he has pursued in his career. But unlike a lot of stories similar to his, his began with a bit of an issue most don’t have to face. Shaq barely knew his birth father, being instead raised by his stepfather, who he has credited with helping him grow into the man he became.
Shaquille O’Neal Spoke About How It Was For Him To Meet His Biological Father
Shaq spoke a while ago about what it was like for him to meet his biological father on an episode with Dr. Phil. The conversation was insightful, with O’Neal explaining that he doesn’t bear much animosity toward the man who didn’t stick around to raise him despite being his dad.
(starts at 00:52 minutes)
“So my mother calls me, says you need to meet your biological. I’m like, ‘Whoa, I’m good. Like 47, I got 6 kids mom, I’m good.’ But it’s okay, I meet him. Crazy thing is, in New Jersey, there’s this restaurant that I always go to, soul food restaurant. And there was a guy in there, a chef, he always used to look at me and just start crying. And he was my father’s best friend. And my biological father lived upstairs.
“So one day we go to a restaurant and we have a good conversation. And it ain’t about what happened, cuz I’ve learned you can’t judge a man. He had some problems when he was young, I don’t judge him. My thing now is just as long as we’re both here, we just get to know each other.”
This is a very mature take from Shaq, who remains one of the more humble players in the league’s history despite his massive superstar status. There are many that wouldn’t be able to forgive a parent for abandoning them, but the Big Diesel has shown time and again that his heart is just as big as he is.
