"I had to take care of my mom and dad" - Shaquille O'Neal gives a wholesome account of how he spent his first $1 million paycheck
Shaquille O'Neal earned around $286 million during his 19-year career in the NBA. O'Neal has also invested in a lot of businesses and companies that drove his net worth to about $400 million. But what did O'Neal do when he got his first $1 million paycheck?
In an appearance on the Brian J. Roberts podcast, the LA Lakers legend revealed how he spent his first million back in 1992. O'Neal noted that he took care of his parents by buying them cars and a brand new house. It was also at this time that he learned to be careful with his money.
"My mom and dad never had a brand new car. Had to get it... I had to take care of my mom and dad. That's the first thing I did... I gotta get them a house. Let me take care of them first so we was going house shopping," Shaquille O'Neal said.
"When I got the keys, the realtors left and I was like, 'Here you go.' She's like, 'What's this?' I said, 'This is not my house. It's your house.' Then the tear, but I had to just take care of those things," he added.
Shaquille O'Neal's parents were Lucille O'Neal and Joe Toney. However, Toney left when O'Neal was just an infant and Lucille had to take care of his son alone until "The Sarge" came into his life. "The Sarge" is Phillip A. Harrison, who became O'Neal's stepfather.
Shaquille O'Neal on how 'The Sarge' thought him not to quit growing up
Shaquille O'Neal grew up in a military family with "The Sarge" who was a part of the US Army. The NBA star was born in Newark before moving to Germany and finally settling in San Antonio, Texas.
In the same interview with Brian J. Roberts, Shaq shared how Phillip A. Harrison taught him not to quit while growing up. The lessons he learned from "The Sarge" were very important as he used it during his NBA career and afterwards.
"I'm not allowed to be soft. Not allowed to be soft. He would make me do pushups... That's where the no quit comes in at. I will not quit on anything. If I can't beat you first, guess what? We gonna go two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, till I beat you," O'Neal said.
.@SHAQ delivered a powerful, emotional tribute to all of those who inspired him to become one of the most dominant NBA big men ever. @NBAonTNT #NBA75 https://t.co/DzUgKkm0r6
Shaquille O'Neal ended up becoming one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He went on to win four NBA championships, three with the LA Lakers and one with the Miami Heat.
O'Neal is quite possibly the most dominant big man ever, too. He is also becoming one of the best businessman athletes today and has invested in so many different ventures that fans can practically see him everywhere.