NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal had a rough childhood. He grew up in a humble family with hostile surroundings, which urged his parents to keep an constant eye on the 7-foot-1 inches tall center. Shaq was also an unruly kid, who used to get in trouble quite often. As a result, he would often prompt a lot of problems for himself. However, Shaq recently revealed that he wants to go back to a difficult phase in his life.

O’Neal was a very jolly kid who defied his parents more often than not and his behavior resulted in a brutal a** whooping and beating at times. Despite all the struggles and the hardships he had to face, it seems like the four-time NBA champion wants to relive those past moments really badly.

Shaquille O’Neal gets nostalgic recalling his childhood

Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal turned 51 recently. However, he is still a kid at heart and it seems he wants to become a child all over again. Shaq shared an interesting thought on his Instagram account recently. The three-time NBA Finals MVP, who has around 30 million followers, expressed his desire to return to his childhood.

Recently, Shaq shared a reel by a famous content creator which was quite relatable for Shaq. The creator in the reel said, “I wish that I could go back when I was just a kid sometimes. To watching cartoons with cereal, those were simpler times. I wish that I could go back. Despite getting whooped sometimes, I’ll take that whooping sometimes.“

It seems the creator of the reel had a similar childhood to that of Shaq. He mentions being whooped sometimes, and Shaq Diesel certainly has a lot of experience in getting his ‘a** whooped’, as he had mentioned on several occasions. 

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O’Neal’s biological father left him while the future NBA champion was merely a child. Sgt Phillip Harrison, Shaq’s stepfather, and his mother, Lucille, played a huge role in shaping their son’s future.

Shaq’s stepfather was his biggest critic while growing up

A young Shaquille O’Neal was already a huge basketball prospect. Blessed with a physicality like no other, Shaq was a menace to the opposition’s defenses. However, his stepfather was rarely satisfied with his son’s performances.

During a segment of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the former MVP revealed how his father criticized him despite scoring 50 points. O’Neal said, “I could have 50 points, but if I missed 10 free throws and I called him, he would say ‘you should have 60’.”

Phillip Harrison’s harsh treatment of his son bore fruit as the young kid turned out to be one of the greatest players ever. Incidentally, once Sergeant Harrison slapped Shaq on the court because he was concentrating on finger-rolling like Dr. J, rather than being dominant. Although things like these could be considered as abuse nowadays, Shaq had admitted on numerous occasions that these incidents moulded him into the man he is today.

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What is your favorite memory of Shaquille O’Neal? Let us know in the comments down below.