Shaquille O’Neal has tried his best to set a great example for his children to try and follow. Shaq has earned hundreds of millions over the course of his NBA and business career and has used it to create generational wealth. However, his younger generations don’t get anything that Shaq worked for if they don’t put in the effort to be rewarded.
Shaq has said that his children need college degrees and even had a falling out with his son, Shareef, when he declared for the 2022 NBA Draft instead of seeing out his final year in college, though they have since reconciled. However, he did once bet his son $5,000 to score 25 points in a game. It served as motivation, as the target was met with an impressive performance supplementing it.
It is hard to keep your children away from the lap of luxury when someone is as high profile and successful as Shaq has been. Despite that, O’Neal has made an honest effort to raise his children with the same principles he had that allowed him to be as successful as he is.
Shaquille O’Neal’s Successful Story
Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was raised by his mother and stepfather, a military man who whipped young Shaq into shape and helped him pursue his basketball career. His stepfather was a major guiding force in his early career, helping Shaq train and make decisions.
As a player, Shaq won 4 championships, 3 Finals MVPs, and a regular-season MVP, being regarded as one of the greatest centers to ever play the game. He followed that up with a successful career in business and as a media personality, appearing on TV shows, movies, and venturing into music.
There is no substitute for hard work and Shaq has proven that his entire career. Rewarding his children through challenges is just another quirk of the legendary big man.