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Shaquille O’Neal’s 4 Word Admission on “Hating” Biological Father Who Left Him as a Child Brought Tears to Eyes
Shaquille ‘O Neal, the legendary Lakers center, has one of the most lovable personalities you will ever find in the game of basketball. From his playing days to his days in broadcasting with TNT now, he always is jolly and never shies away from having fun. Be it at his expense or his friends or colleagues.
But this gentle giant has another side too. Shaq didn’t have a great childhood. His biological father left his mother before she eventually found and married a soldier named Phillip Harrison, who would become Shaq’s step-father.
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Harrison filled the lack of a father figure role in young Shaquille’s life and in Shaq’s own words made him the person he became. But a resurfaced article now talks about how, before he was to be admitted to the basketball Hall of Fame, Shaq met his real father.
Lakers from left Tyronn Lue, Brian Shaw, Robert Horry, Shaquille O’Neal and Ron Harper in Philadelphia. (Photo by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Shaq had not met his father ever since he had left him. But when, after all these years, Shaq met his biological father, he had this to say to Mr. Joseph Toney. “I don’t hate you,” Shaq said to him.
Meeting his biological father would not have been easy after all this time. But forgiving him would have been tougher. But Shaq did it and once again showed the world that this gentle giant has a heart of gold.
Shaq – The most unstoppable force since Wilt
Orlando Magic drafted him first overall in the 1992 NBA Draft. After four years in Orlando, where he took them to the NBA Finals in 1995, Shaq signed for the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 1992 to team up with Kobe Bryant. After Michael Jordan retired, Shaq and his Lakers took over the league winning three straight NBA Championships from 2000 to 02 and reaching another final in 2004.
018634.SP.1101.lakers.AR The Los Angeles Lakers Shaquille O’Neal(left) and Kobe Bryant prior to game against Utah at the Staples Center on 11/1/00. (Photo by Anacleto Rapping/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
But his time with the Lakers came to an unceremonious end when he was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004. There he won another championship, this time with Dwyane Wade in 2006. He was the league MVP in 1999-00 and also won the scoring title that season.
He was the last center to achieve both those feats until Nikola Jokic won the MVP in 2021 and Joel Embiid won the scoring title in 2022. Shaq was the most dominant player this league has ever seen and probably will ever see.
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