When Shaquille O'Neal's stepfather Phillip Harrison called him "little f*king p*ssy" to adjust his perspective on life
There are many factors that shaped Shaquille O'Neal into the man he is, but one stands out above the rest. That being Phillip Harrison, his stepfather. The former army sergeant pushed him during his formative years to help turn him into one of the NBA's most dominant forces.
Over the summer, Shaquille O'Neal partnered with HBO to put out a documentary about his life. Among the things discussed was the relationship he had with his stepfather. Harrison showed him tough love at times, but only to help him grow as a man.
In an interview with TIME after the release, Shaquille O'Neal opened up on being vulnurable to the documentary. He also touched on an occasion when Harrison put perspective into his life.
While talking after a game, Shaq admitted to his stepfather that the pressure got the best of him. He proceeded to take him to an area with a high population of homeless people.
“Excuse my French, but he said, you little f***ing p**sy. You’re making $40 million a year, $30 million in endorsements, that’s 70. Look at these people. They have nothing. That’s pressure.
"Don’t ever say anything to me about motherf***ing pressure again. Get out.”
Shaquille O'Neal holds no hard feelings towards his stepfather
After seeing a story like this, some feel that Shaq had to deal with an extreme case of tough love. While the LA Lakers legend doesn't deny that Phillip Harrison was hard on him, it did not have a negative impact on their relationship.
Up until his death in 2013, Shaq had a close bond with Harrison. In the same interview, he admitted that he's glad he was raised the way he was.
“I got corporally punished. I won’t do that with my children. But it worked for me, O'Neal said.
"He had to let me know, ‘Hey, I know you’re 6’9″ but this is still my house and you’re still going to follow these rules or else. I’m glad he did, O"Neal continued.”
To become an elite talent in the NBA, players need some form of killer instinct. It's always one of the first things brought up when discussing players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. They were extremely driven and willing to do whatever it took to come away victorious.
While most consider Shaquille O'Neal to be a funny and kind-hearted person today, that wasn't always the case. On the basketball court, he was a menacing force that didn't let anything get in his way. Seeing how one of his role models raised him to be strong, it doesn't take long to figure out how Shaq built this nature on the court.