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LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Shaquille O’Neal (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers is congratulated by his father Philip Harrison (L) after the Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 106-88 in Game Two of the NBA Western Conference first round play-offs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA 26 April, 2001. O’Neal was the high scorer with 32 points as the Lakers take a 2-0 lead in the series. AFP PHOTO/ Vince BUCCI (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Shaquille O’Neal (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers is congratulated by his father Philip Harrison (L) after the Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 106-88 in Game Two of the NBA Western Conference first round play-offs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA 26 April, 2001. O’Neal was the high scorer with 32 points as the Lakers take a 2-0 lead in the series. AFP PHOTO/ Vince BUCCI (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
Four-time NBA champion and millionaire Shaquille O’Neal lives a lavish lifestyle currently. However, this wasn’t always the case. He struggled a lot initially in his early days. At that time, his parents played a huge role in shaping his life.
O’Neal’s stepfather, Phillip A. Harrison was an inspiration for him growing up and Shaq naturally had a lot of respect and also fear for his father.
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Interestingly enough, O’Neal rebelled against his father for the first time while taking an important decision about his future. College-level basketball involved a lot of fouls that could have injured Shaq. For this reason, he took a vital decision that changed the course of NBA history.
Shaquille O’Neal rebelled with his father while deciding on his future
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal was one of the hottest prospects in the country while he was in college. Playing for the LSU Tigers, Shaq was destined for greatness.
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 23: Former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal attends the unveiling of the Shaq Courts at the Doolittle Complex donated by Icy Hot and the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation in partnership with the city of Las Vegas on October 23, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Icy Hot)
However, the games were usually very violent involving a lot of fouls. For this reason, O’Neal took the big decision of going to the NBA. In the recently released ‘Shaq’ documentary, the former NBA champion talked about this experience.
Shaq said, “Go home. Same Argument. Man, f**k that. They f***ing me up in school. I’m going. And it was the first time he looked back at me and he realized he had created a man”
As history goes, O’Neal would make the right decision in entering the NBA. He retired having won almost everything there is to win, establishing himself as one of the greatest players ever.
Sergeant Phillip A. Harrison often employed traditional parenting methods to discipline Shaq. Therefore, the Big Diesel rarely spoke out against his father. But the 7′ center’s belief in his decision let Sergeant Harrison know that he had created a man.
How good was Shaq in college?
Shaquille O’Neal was blessed with incredible physicality. This helped him dominate opponents both early on in his career and also during his time in the NBA.
O’Neal played for the LSU Tigers at the college level. He is a two-time consensus Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and first-team All-American, 1991-1992.
Moreover, he was the National Player of the Year for the year 1991 adjudged by various media publications. He finished his career at LSU with 1,941 points and 1,217 rebounds. (Source: www.lsusports.net)
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Edited by
Satagni Sikder