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USA Today via Reuters

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USA Today via Reuters

Shaquille O’Neal has hardly ever failed! Take a look at his career, he has always managed to overcome obstacles and rise. Now, less needs to be said about his business. He has made some of the cleverest endorsement and partnership deals that have boosted his net worth to $500 million. But it seems there’s just one thing he couldn’t quite conquer. Regardless, he makes the effort, which recently failed again!

Netflix docuseries Power Moves just rolled out in June this year. The new six-episode docuseries on the footwear and clothing brand Reebok details O’Neal and Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson’s efforts to uplift the brand to its original glory. During the second episode, we get to see interesting exchanges between O’Neal and NBA G League player and the youngest hooper in U.S. history, Dink Pate.

One such moment comes at the beginning of Episode 2 when the Big Aristotle meets Pate and his family in the gym. While Pate was dribbling perfectly and dunking the ball, he failed to do so as soon as O’Neal appeared to be watching. He made a few more free throws but missed. “I ain’t nervous,” he said when his coach asked. Pate got back on track soon after the 4× NBA champ left. His mother is also a former basketball player.

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During the interview segment, O’Neal admitted that while he doesn’t wish to “intimidate” people, he ends up making them nervous sometimes. And regarding Pate’s failure to make successful free throws, the 4x NBA champ likely wouldn’t mind.

His career free-throw percentage is only 52.7%. Do you know Hack-a-Shaq? This was a strategy created by opposing teams to intentionally foul him and buy more time in the game. However, over time, O’Neal continued to work hard to improve.

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But the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s ability to intimidate people during first encounters has remained the same. This is also why he doesn’t attend his kids’ games.

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Why does Shaquille O’Neal avoid attending his kids’ games?

While Shareef has joined O’Neal in working for Reebok, his other two children, Me’Arah and Shaqir, are currently playing college basketball. When both had their debut college games scheduled on the same day, their mother, Shaunie Henderson, was torn about wanting to attend both. Ultimately, she showed up for her daughter’s game and watched her son’s matchup on her phone.

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Is Shaq's decision to avoid his kids' games a sign of respect or unnecessary caution?

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However, the 4x NBA champion has revealed that he prefers not to attend his kids’ games. Why? Shaquille O’Neal believes that his presence makes his children nervous when they play basketball. “A lot of times when I go watch them play, they get nervous. I don’t ever want to make them nervous, so I just try to watch from afar,” O’Neal said.

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In a conversation with PEOPLE, he said he’s “super proud” of all six of his children. However, he tries “not to bother them.” Still, on Day 1, O’Neal couldn’t help himself. During Shaqir’s debut with the Florida A&M Rattlers, who opened the season against TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, Shaq was in attendance to support his son.

So, it’s not just Dink Pate who gets nervous playing in front of him, Shaq’s own kids do too. But that might change. Now that Shaq has joined Sacramento State as General Manager, it’s likely that he’ll get to see more of his son in action.

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