Jermaine O’Neal may be known for his power on the court, but what he recently shared off the court might surprise you. It’s one thing to be a six-time NBA All-Star, but it’s something else to carry a name that was never really yours. Yeah! You read that right. On a recent episode of Out the Mud, Jermaine O’Neal shared some unexpected truths about his name, his family, and a story you won’t find in the stat books. This story is not about basketball, but about identity and upbringing.

Here’s where it gets deep. The co-host talked about how he met his dad at 32, and Jermaine jumped in, “You know what’s crazy, man,” and then came the twist. Jermaine said he met his father at 30 years old and only knew him for 13 months before he passed away. But that wasn’t even the biggest shock. “My last name is made up,” he said. “True story, O’Neal. It’s made up. Not even his name.” Imagine going through life with a name that isn’t really part of your bloodline.

And that’s not all. Jermaine said he is one of 33 kids. Yes, you heard that right, 33. “I met 17 of them when he died,” he said about his siblings. His father had been in jail for murder, and Jermaine only started learning about him after he passed. “I was so upset about… not really like choosing me right, you chose my brother,” he said. His brother, just two years older, had their dad around for a short time…but Jermaine never did. That feeling stayed with him. He heard stories about all the toys…all the attention, and he kept wondering…why not him! And no! his brother is not Shaquille O’Neal! Even though both of them shared same surname, they are not related.

His father’s absence hurt him a lot. Jermaine said, “I almost took it out on my mother.” But then the story turned to the real hero…his mom. She was the strength, the structure, the support. “My mother was the force behind everything, man.” When life was tough, she stood strong. No matter what he faced outside his home, it was even tougher, and that’s what saved him.

This story revolves around the upbringing of the NBA Star amid the hardships of a single mother. The single mother who became the wall between good and bad, the wall between strength and weakness, and the wall between standard and hood. For Jermaine O’Neal, it was his mother who filled the gap that his father left.

Jermaine’s mother: the force behind the star

Jermaine O’Neal’s mom didn’t just raise a man…she raised a fighter. “You get your ass beaten in the streets you going to go home and get your ass beat at home” he said. But it wasn’t harsh, it was about structure and staying strong when life gave them nothing. She built a standard, and that became Jermaine’s foundation.

She taught him lessons that stayed forever. “If you mistreat a dollar of my money I’m whooping your ass” she’d say. That line stuck with him. It shaped how he handles money and how he teaches his kids today.

Even when life was hard, she never gave up. She didn’t have much, but she gave everything she had…discipline, love, and truth. Jermaine O’Neal said she taught him consistency, the value of effort, and never wasting time. She made sure he knew that life won’t give you anything for free.

That same energy lives in Jermaine O’Neal now. He teaches it to his own children, making sure they learn the same values. No wasted effort, no wasted money, and always give your all. His mom didn’t just raise a ballplayer…she raised a man with ethics and purpose.