Shaquille O’Neal has established himself as not only one of the most formidable players of all time, but also a successful entrepreneur. The four-time NBA champion has had a well-rounded career and life. However, Shaq has credited most of his achievements to the teachings relayed to him by his mother, Lucille O’Neal and father, Sergeant Phillip Harrison. But not all of those teachings came on the back of polite entreaties.

The NBA icon’s childhood was spent in a strict household. Shaq did not know his biological father but was brought up by his mother and stepfather. Even though Sergeant Harrison was mostly the disciplinarian in the household, Lucille O’Neal wasn’t easy on him by any means.

Shaquille O’Neal had to sprint back home every day

The former NBA MVP also shared in a recent interview that not only his ‘no nonsense’ coaches but also his mothers’ disciplined lifestyle made him who he is. During the sit-down, interviewer Ahmad Rashad asked Shaq the secret to his agility. In response, the Big Diesel credited his stamina and agility to his parents’ strict rules.

The four-time NBA champion described that he had to run suicide drills every time he missed a shot or talked back to his father. Mother Lucille wasn’t far behind. She had stipulated the ‘get back home’ time to sunset. 

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As a result, the Lakers icon had to sprint back home most of the days. “Being an African American child, when that damn light post came on, your a** better be in the house, that table better be set, your clothes better be on the bed for the next day,”  Shaq recalled his plight.

More often than not, the younger self of the star would be cutting it short and running at top speed to make it home on time- only to find his parents waiting at the doorstep for him, counting the seconds of his curfew! This kind of discipline made Shaq a monster to deal with on the court.

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Shaq showed gratitude to his mother with expensive gifts

Even though O’Neal’s real father was never in the picture, it did not bother him as he looked up to his stepfather as the only paternal figure he had ever known. He shares an incredible bond with both the sergeant and his mother Lucille.

This bond is exactly why when Shaquille O’Neal was selected first overall in the NBA Draft, the first thing he did was buy himself, his stepfather, and his mother a Mercedes Benz each. The one he got for his mother was worth over $100,000. He also went on to buy her a grand home worth a million dollars with his first $1,000,000 paycheck.

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