Shaquille O’Neal’s stepfather had some choice words to alleviate Shaq’s fears: “In three years you’re going to be going up against [Patrick Ewing] and you’re going to kill him”
Shaquille O'Neal is without question one of the greatest big men to ever play the game of basketball. The hulking seven-foot center, who was enshrined in the NBA Hall of Fame in 2017, is never one to shy away from being honest.
Whether the moment is a serious one, or lighthearted like when he pokes fun at Charles Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal never holds his tongue.
One of the stories Shaquille O'Neal loves to tell is when he first saw Dr. J aka Julius Erving play basketball in person for the first time.
As O'Neal recalls, it was a larger-than-life moment for him as he questioned whether or not he had died and gone to heaven. The moment was one made possible by his stepfather, who took him to watch the New York Knicks play the Philadelphia 76ers.
When Dr. J drove baseline and dunked the ball, O'Neal knew exactly then that he was meant to play the game of basketball. It's a story he has told repeatedly over the years when talking about the game of basketball and how he fell in love with the sport. As it turns out, that wasn't the only time his stepfather helped guide him in the sport.
"He looked at a little kid that wasn't his and said 'you're going to be a bad man'. He looked at a little kid and when we used to ride around looking at cars he said 'man you gonna have 20 of them'. He looked at a kid and said 'you don't need to be afraid of Patrick Ewing in three years you're going to be going up against him and you're going to kill him."
The comments came during a recent appearance on ABtalks, where the NBA Hall of Famer touched on everything from his playing career to his personal life. You can catch his comments in the video below beginning around the 48-minute mark.
Shaquille O'Neal's relationship with his stepfather
Shaquille O'Neal's relationship with his stepfather was without a doubt critical to his growth as a person. After appearing with 74 other NBA legends at All-Star weekend in honor of the league's 25th anniversary, O'Neal became emotional. While sitting down with Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, and Kenny 'The Jet' Smith on the set of NBA on TNT, he explained what the moment meant to him.
Despite the honor of being a member of the 'NBA 75' team, O'Neal was saddened by the fact that three people couldn't be there. The first was his sister, who tragically passed away while battling breast cancer in 2020. The second was Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal former teammate and friend. The third, his stepfather Sgt. Phillip Harrison, who Big Diesel said always believed in him.
During a moment of reflection during the NBA 75 ceremony, Shaquille O'Neal opened up on their relationship. In addition, he spoke about the famed Knicks-76ers game that fueled his love for basketball.
“I look at him and say ‘Sir, this is what I want to be when I grow up.’’His exact words, ‘If you listen to me, I’ll make you one of those most dominant big men ever.”
As they say, the rest is history.
You can watch the nearly four-minute-long touching tribute in the video below.