Shaquille O’Neal is one of the funniest celebrities in the NBA. Shaq doesn’t shy away from sharing his life experiences in interviews or podcasts. Recently, he was invited to the pivot podcast and opened up about a lot of things including Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, handling pressure, etc.

And there was an important moment where he shared an interesting detail about his father’s lesson in handling the pressure. When asked about how Shaq handled the pressure of playing for the Lakers, he shared this story.

Shaquille O’Neal on handling pressure

Shaquille O’Neal said that in his rookie year he had a poor game against the New York Knicks. He got a call from his father the next day who asked, “What happened? You can’t handle the pressure?”. Shaq said that he is not supposed to tell that he can’t handle the pressure because his father won’t like that. So Shaq replied, “I couldn’t”. For which, Shaq’s father had asked Shaq to catch a plane and come home and also told Shaq to be in the house at 07:00.

After reaching the house, Shaquille O’Neal and his father started riding in the car and they saw a homeless family. Shaq said that whenever his father rides on that route, he would give them some money and help them. Then his father said, “You spoilt mother f**ker, this is pressure. Pressure is when you don’t know where your next meal is coming from. I don’t want to hear you say you can’t handle the pressure again, it’s f**king basketball. Now get out!”

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A puzzled Shaq asked his father what does he mean by get out and his father had replied, “Get the f**k out and take care of the family”. So Shaq got out and talked to the homeless man with his wife and two kids and helped him get a job by reaching out to some of his contacts.

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The Lakers legend said that after he took care of the family, he realized what real pressure is and said that he never felt pressure ever again.

Shaquille O’Neal’s kindness

Shaquille O’Neal is someone who is seen doing charitable acts of kindness. The NBA legend is known for having a big and generous heart. He has helped multiple people who were in need of help throughout his life.

For instance, Shaquille O’Neal was once seen paying for a young guy’s engagement ring. Recently, Shaquille O’Neal extended his help to a family of a three-year-old killed in Baton Rouge.