Shaquille O’Neal was always in the headlines during his time in the NBA. The seven-foot giant won multiple championships and MVP awards and was selected as an All-Star 15 times in the 19 seasons he played in the league. But Shaq learned to evolve during his playing days, as his superpower on the court could’ve been disastrous at home.

Shaq sat down for a No-Holds barred interview recently where the Big Diesel talked about love, loss, and regret. While talking to People magazine, O’Neal revealed his vulnerable side to the audience in an intensely personal conversation.

The turning point in the life of Shaquille O’Neal

Growing up in a military family was not an easy task for O’Neal, since they were constantly on the move. The Big Aristotle was as dominant a player as there has ever been in the league. And a huge credit for that goes to his freakishly massive height and build.

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Moreover, Shaq often used anger to crush his opponents on the basketball court. He considered it his superpower. But Shaq mentioned how that same superpower had the ability to wreck his family and home.

While talking to David Walters, O’Neal said, “After a bad game, especially if it was my fault, missed my free throws, I’d go crazy. I’d tear the house up. I was the Hulk.” But that soon changed after Shaq was blessed with kids.

O’Neal is the father of five. He had four kids with his ex-wife, Shaunie Henderson, and one kid from his previous relationship with ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh. The seven-foot center mentioned how his kids played a big role in changing his personality.

“As soon as I saw my children’s faces, I could transform. You come home, and they don’t care about any of that. Forty points? It’s ‘Hey, Daddy!’ Two points? ‘Hey, Daddy!’,” said Shaq while talking about his evolution off the court.

Shaq realized what his anger could do

The four-time NBA champion already had an idea of what his anger could bring into his life. He mentioned the fact that he had almost killed a kid during a schoolyard fight during his teenage days.

O’Neal had received glimpse of jail cells after the incident and that just sank into him. Since then, he transformed himself and focused more on being the class clown instead. 

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Now Shaquille O’Neal is considered one of the most wholesome people on this planet. He gets showered with love and attention wherever he goes. The big guy has clearly come a long way since then.