When Shaquille O’Neal's father bashed him for his racist "Tell Yao Ming, 'Ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh'" remark
Although Shaquille O'Neal is incredibly media-trained, the hulking Hall of Famer has managed to land himself in hot water from time to time. One of the most notable instances of that came back in 2003, when O'Neal was in the midst of the second half of his stint with the Lakers.
After winning three straight championships, O'Neal made headlines for all the wrong reasons. And his father took him to task for it.
The NBA had just entered the Yao Era back then, with a massive seven-foot-six center cementing his place in the league with the Houston Rockets. In the midst of Ming's rookie year, O'Neal earned quite a bit of criticism for his insensitive and racist remarks during an interview on cable TV.
“Tell Yao Ming, ‘Ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh,'" O'Neal was quoted as saying.
It took some time for O'Neal to feel the full ramifications of his comments. By the time he was knee-deep in criticism, six months had gone by.
During a recent appearance on "Hot Ones," O'Neal revealed that his father, Sgt. Philip Arthur Harrison, was not pleased with the incident. Given that Ming openly looked up to Shaq, Big Diesel's father made sure an apology was in order.
According to Shaq, his father told him that he must show Ming more respect.
Yao Ming's response, Shaquille O'Neal's apology, and a friendship
After Shaquille O'Neal's father ripped into him for being disrespectful towards Yao Ming, Shaq apologized for potentially offending everyone. And while many weren't sold on Shaq's remorse, the incident didn't seem to phase Yao Ming as much as everyone expected.
Yao Ming not only accepted Shaquille O'Neal's apology, he even went a step further by chalking it up to cultural differences. During an interview with the LA Times in the wake of Shaq's apology, Ming said:
“I think there are a lot of difficulties in two different cultures understanding each other, especially countries of very large populations, China and the United States. The world is getting smaller and has a greater understanding of cultures.”
As it turns out, O'Neal's on-air apology wasn't the only one. According to the LA Times, he learned how to say "I'm sorry" in Yao's language so he could apologize properly.
Fortunately, this story had a happy ending for everyone involved. In the wake of the entire affair, O'Neal and Yao became pretty good friends. According to the four-time NBA champion, whenever he's in China, he makes sure to hit up the Chinese superstar.
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Shaquille O'Neal's relationship with his stepfather
Shaquille O'Neal and his father had a very complicated relationship. By the Hall of Famer's own admission, he was a pretty troubled child. As a self-confessed bully who frequently found himself in hot water, O'Neal credits his father's influence with guiding him in the right direction.
As O'Neal's father sought to get him on the right path, he convinced him to do better in school by enticing him with tickets to a basketball game. When Shaq got all C's, Sgt. Philip Arthur Harrison took him to a New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers game, where he saw Dr. J drive baseline and dunk the ball.
From then on, O'Neal knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life. Thanks to his father's discipline, training, and guiding hand, Shaq was able to evolve into one of the greatest big men to ever play the game.
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