When the person opposite is 7 feet tall, you literally have to look up to him. But Shaquille O’Neal gives more reason to look up to him as a role model. He’s dedicated to improving lives everywhere, especially kids. The Los Angeles Lakers icon is drawing from his own life experiences to ensure his young fans don’t repeat his mistakes. He’s always been open about not being the most well-behaved son his mother had but he’s spent most of his life making up for it.

Shaq is currently expanding his business ventures in South America. He’s already a recognizable personality there but very few know of his story of turning hardship into triumph.

Shaquille O’Neal’s advice for kids

While speaking to a South American publication, Shaquille O’Neal was asked about what he’d like to say to the younger generations. The big man is known for keeping his advice simple. His tidbit of wisdom is very doable.

“My advice is this: Listen to your mother. Be kind and good.” He explained how easy it is to follow this policy too. “Being a kind person requires no money and very little effort.” He should know. He’s the best at it – from buying a random customer a phone at Best Buy to tipping $4000 to his servers.

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O’Neal has always had easy advice for youth. Like that time he taught them to save 75% of a paycheck. The way he drew that from his financial mistakes in his early NBA career, this time he’s talking from his experience too. “We are all going to make mistakes, me too. But if you start with that, you will be fine.” The mistake he refers to was when he gave his mother a hard time.

His life before he was a million-dollar nationwide and global star was full of hardships. O’Neal’s parents worked hard to pay the bills while moving often due to his (step)father’s military career. His mother, Lucille, would give up on new clothes or better things for herself so her kids would have those things instead. Despite their troubles, the O’Neal family stuck by each other. Even when Shaq gave his mother undue trouble.

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Shaq regrets saddening his mother

Without going into details, O’Neal admitted he was a juvenile delinquent for much of his youth. It hurt his mother more than most. “I put that woman through hell,” he confessed.

He’s made it up to Lucille in many ways. One of the first things he did as soon as he signed an NBA contract was splurging on cars and homes for his parents and family. At The Event, he paid $20,000 to buy his mother an exclusive seat at the table to watch John Legend perform up close.

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As she stuck by him despite his mistakes, he supported Lucille through her addiction troubles and paid for her college. This is a mother-son duo for the books and worth looking up to.