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“I Put That Woman Through Hell”: Shaquille O’Neal, Once a “Juvenile Delinquent”, Still Regrets Making Mother Lucille Face Some “Crazy Stuff”

Published 01/29/2023, 8:26 AM EST

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Shaquille O’Neal is one of the widely recognized superstars across the world. Apart from his four dominating championship wins in the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal is a well-known artist and a successful businessman worth over $600 million. The Los Angeles Lakers legend has established a legacy that is possible for only a few to achieve. However, despite attaining so much in life, Shaquille O’Neal recently revealed that his mother’s approval was the most important thing for him in life. Moreover, the Big Diesel, who admitted to being a ‘mid-level ‘juvenile delinquent’ once, ended up confessing his regrets about letting his mother Lucille O’Neal get through some ‘crazy stuff’ due to his actions.

Given Shaq’s history with violence, his parents had to face a great deal of trouble in handling him as a child. The Lakers legend has revealed many stories of his habit of getting into fights while growing up. Recently, Shaq expressed his regrets about the troubles his mother had to go through because of his crazy antics.

Shaquille O’Neal shares biggest regret involving mother Lucille

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In the recent iteration of The Big Podcast, while sharing his concerns about the dispute between NFL legend Ed Reed and Bethune-Cookman University, Shaquille O’Neal admitted that he put his mother through a lot of stress due to his violent nature. Shaq shared, “I do a lot of things I accomplished a lot of things but nothing touches me more than seeing her say, I love you and I’m proud of you.”

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He continued, “Because y’all don’t know this, but from 2 to 18, I put that woman through hell. Not even 18, 15. I was bad. I was a medium-level juvenile delinquent. And, never got into gun play but everything else I did it. Knives, fights, not gangs but, you know, hanging out with the boys. Just doing a lot of crazy, almost getting hurt, like did a lot of crazy stuff and I could see all the sides on her face.”

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Luckily for Shaq, a little discipline from his father helped him realize the reality and inspired him to become a better person. Shaquille O’Neal credited his father Philip A. Harrison for getting him to focus on the more important things in life.

Father’s disciplinary actions helped Shaq become a better person

Shaq shared how a disciplinary action from his father helped change his mindset. The 15-time All-Star said, “And then, my dad hit me with a two-piece one time and it shook my brain. I was like, you know what? I’m going to start doing right. And then, you know I can remember when I had my first little article and the smile on her face. I’m like, man! she loves me.”

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WATCH THIS STORY: Is Shaquille ONeals Ex-Wife Shaunie Married to Someone else now?

Thus, the three-time Finals MVP shared that he regretted being the reason behind her mother’s troubles while growing up. From being a troubled child, Shaq managed to rise up and establish his legacy as an athlete, businessman, and a superstar celebrity. 

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Written by:

Rohit Kumawat

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Rohit Kumawat is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Currently pursuing an MBA in Media and Business Management, Rohit holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. He has been working as a Sports and Entertainment writer for over a year.
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Edited by:

Satagni Sikder