Family means everything to Shaquille O’Neal. It means more than everything. Especially his mother, who he considers as the most influential person in his life. There’s no doubt he can go to lengths to protect the people he loves and cherishes the most.
O’Neal has credited his mom for being a positive influence on him. That’s why he and his family would go to lengths to protect her, as he narrated in a recent podcast of “Big Shaq.”
Shaq first started with how quickly he can move for his family and then narrated a story of him and his cousin during his days on the road in the NBA that involved a fan who spoke ill of his beloved momma. He shared,
Disrespect my family and it’s on. We just gonna get it cracking and then I just deal with the stuff later. 1993, we’re in JCPenny’s. Me, my cousin Kenny and we’re walking, and this guy’s with his girlfriend and we get ready to play the Knicks. And the guy got on this New York Knicks and he’s like, ‘Orlando Magic suck. Knicks gonna f**** your grill up.’ And I said, ‘No, I’m gonna f*** your grill up.’
Shaq further added:
And then the dude said, ‘I’mma f**** your mama up.’ And Kenny said, ‘what you say about my aunt?’ And Kenny started chasing this motherf***** around JCPenny’s tire section… Motherf***** left his girl. So me and Kenny took her to lunch.
Despite the light-hearted nature of the story, Shaq, who was notorious for being a stubborn teenager and adding to his towering nature, seemed really overprotective of his family, especially his mother.
Shaquille O’Neal once stood up for a bullied kid
Shaquille O’Neal’s unique talent lies in his ability to infuse humor and inspiration into any situation. In a recent interview, he shared a story about how he once intervened to stop bullying against a classmate named McDougal during his high school days. Shaq’s intervention, leveraging his imposing stature, successfully put an end to the bullying, demonstrating his ability to use his influence for positive change.
Shaquille O’Neal (Credits: Yardbarker)Shaq stated:
In high school, a geek saved my life. There was this guy everybody used to bully him, kept beating this kid. So I told homies anybody touches McDougal you going to have problems with me.
Above all, the nerdy student bestowed upon O’Neal a new sense of purpose and direction in life. While O’Neal’s ultimate goal was to forge a remarkable career in the NBA, he never allowed his education to take a back seat. Despite departing LSU early to enter the NBA draft, O’Neal made a commitment to his parents, particularly his mother, Lucille O’Neal, to fulfill his educational aspirations.
True to his word, the Lakers icon returned to LSU to earn his undergraduate degree. Subsequently, he pursued and obtained his MBA in 2005, followed by his Ph.D. O’Neal’s educational odyssey stands as a testament to his unwavering determination and serves as an inspiration to many.
