A single parent raised the Lakers Legend and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal; his mother, Lucille O’Neal. Shaq grew up to be a 7’1” giant that would go on to dominate in the NBA, making him a legend of the game. Lucille is an author and a motivational speaker. Across books and interviews, she mentioned the challenges she had to endure while raising Shaq as a single parent.

Shaquille O’Neal is the 4x NBA champion and a Hall of Famer. He dominated in the NBA for almost two decades. In his tenure in the league, the 7’1” center crafted the perfect career.

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The Orlando Magic drafted the Big diesel in 1992. He played in Orlando for four years, where he had immense success individually, but couldn’t find any team success. Shaq would go on to sign the Los Angeles Lakers in 1997. He won his first championship with the Lakers in 2000, and he would win another two in 2001 and 2002 to complete the three-peat. In those three years, Shaq had one of the greatest runs by any player in the league, putting up monster stat lines night after night. Due to contract disputes and a falling out with fellow star Kobe Bryant, Shaq would sign with the Miami heat in 2004. O’Neal would win another championship with heat alongside Dwyane Wade in 2006. He retired from the league in 2011.

Since his retirement, The Big Diesel has made more money than he did while playing. O’Neal has made a fortune in the last decade with a combination of prudent investments and successful business ventures. He is estimated to be worth over $400 Million. But before all this fame and wealth, O’Neal grew up in a challenging environment raised by a single parent.

Lucille on raising Shaquille O’Neal as a single parent

Shaquille O’Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 6, 1972, to Lucille O’Neal and Joe Tony. Joe wouldn’t be around for long because he was addicted to drugs and would soon be imprisoned. As a result, Lucille was left to raise young Shaq on her own. Lucille was only 17 years old when she had Shaq. Being a single parent at such a young age was extremely difficult for her. “Shaquille and I grew up together. I learned about sacrificing what I wanted so my son could get what he needed.”

Lucille was very young when she had Shaq; it was tough for her to make ends meet. She was part of a welfare program. Despite being on welfare and unable to support herself, she was adamant about raising Shaq alone. Lucille faced many challenges, but she knew that her son was special. She didn’t marry another man until Shaq was 6. She was a strong and purposeful young woman who managed to raise a child alone.

Watch the Story – Shaquille O’Neal who owns a 76000 sq ft house and 400 million in wealth was left heartbroken while driving through a nice neighborhood with mother

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She sacrificed her youth to ensure Shaq would get the upbringing he deserved. She succeeded in doing just that; Shaq would grow up to dominate in the NBA and become a Multi-Millionaire.