NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has played for six franchises during his legendary NBA career that spanned 20 years. He is one of the greatest to step foot on the court. Recently, the four-time NBA champ disclosed some horror stories that his father used to tell him when he was young to keep him on the right path. Shaq recently made an appearance at WWE sstarLogan Paul’s ‘IMPAULSIVE’ podcast and talked about his father’s drug abuse.
Shaquille O’Neal opens up on his father
O’Neal shared that his stepfather, Philip Harrison, was a drill sergeant who raised him through horror stories. The Los Angeles Lakers legend suggested that 65-70% of athletes have nothing left financially after three to four years of their retirement.
Shaq said:
“When I was 12, 13, my father came home one day and he was crying and he said if I ever catch you messing with coke, I will kill you.”
However, the then 13-year-old Shaq thought his dad was talking about the soda beverage. The 15-time All-Star replied to his dad that he was a Pepsi guy. Shaquille went on to add that his father cried when Len Bias passed away. He was selected as the no. 2 overall pick by the Boston Celtics during the 1986 NBA Drafts. However, two days later, Bias passed away due to a drug overdose. O’Neal shared that his father cried after Len’s death like he was Shaq’s brother. Thus, whenever people made mistakes, Shaq’s father used those stories to teach Shaq a lesson, which helped change the way he looked at the world. He also recently revealed how he keeps himself away from parties while many throw lavish ones.
