It is a fact that a huge stature like that of Shaquille O’Neal is rare to find, even in a place like the NBA. At 7-foot 1, the former Los Angeles Lakers star possessed a physical advantage like none. However, it was something that he wasn’t that proud of in the beginning. It had to take an indirect influence from a loved one to allow him to see things in a different light.

In the episode of his ‘The Big Podcast’ published earlier today, Shaquille O’Neal admitted “I used to be ashamed of being tall, cause…..everybody was short and all my friends are short, and I was kind of doofy at 13.” Things took a turn, however, when the future NBA player would get to meet his great-grandparents at their “small” house. While greeting his great-grandmother, Shaq recalled how his great-grandfather was standing in the back, almost as gigantic as Shaq would be in the future. Seeing the tall figure being so comfortable in himself despite his “small” surroundings allowed Shaq to appreciate his physical gift.

“He had on some pants, he had his little shirt open, the ox with the ‘plow thing’, and he did like this (wiping his forehead with his arm)” said Shaq. “And when he did that, that (Censored) opened up. Looked like ‘He-Man’. And I’m just looking, I’m like ‘God Damn’. I’m looking up like that, my mom’s like ‘That’s how you going to be.’” Whatever learning he gained from that one sight, it was enough to convince Shaquille O’Neal to develop a “dominant” personality and transform into the man he is today.

This is not the first instance of Shaquille O’Neal reflecting on his great-grandfather. In his book ‘Shaq Talks Back’, the four-time NBA champion revealed that his great-grandparents, Hilton O’Neal and Cillar O’Neal, tied the knot in 1930 when the latter was just a mere age of 15. For his great-grandfather, he wrote “How do I get to be 7’1″? I never met Hilton O’Neal but I was told he was 6’8″ or 6’9″ tall.”

Despite being taller than an average human being, Shaquille O’Neal’s parents were quite far away from reaching the same stature as their son. With his mother Lucille O’Neal standing at 6-foot 2 and his father at 6 foot-1, the future basketball star had surpassed them already by the time he was 13. Looking back, he may have realized that his great-grandfather’s genes may have played a role in passing this hereditary feature down.

Shaq’s height has helped him a lot over the course of his NBA career. It allowed him to get the better of tough defenders like Rik Smits and Allen Iverson during his first two successful runs at the championship title. Along with maintaining a high shooting percentage from the field, the Lakers center did not allow himself to be easily blocked by the 7-foot-2 Dikembe Mutombo during the 2001 NBA Finals. As a result, he easily secured an average score of 33 points and 15.8 rebounds during the Finals series. This string of success continued later on, and the player would walk with an additional two championship rings to his name. On the professional side, Shaq’s stature has helped him a lot. On the personal side, however, there have been instances that had him wishing to be a shorter man.

Shaquille O’Neal’s love for sports cars had him wishing he wasn’t 7-foot-1

Having been living a retired life for over 13 years now, Shaquille O’Neal quickly adapted himself to different interests. While his stint as a co-host of ‘Inside the NBA’ kept him quite busy during the NBA regular season, his career as an aspiring musician/rapper also kept him preoccupied. In the midst of all this, the former player has also worked on amassing an impressive car collection. With over 30+ vehicles to his name, the number would have been bigger had his choices not been so limited.

“They’ve got these Lamborghinis and Ferraris … (and) I used to have to buy two, shrimp them up, spend a crazy amount of money and take the convertible part off to make myself fit,” said Shaq during an interview with People. “But that’s the only time I’ve wished I was smaller, so I can get into some of these expensive sports cars. Other than that, I’ve never had that thought process.”

Along with the huge cost of acquiring the sports vehicles, the 52-year-old had to often make some custom modifications to fit himself in them. When he brought his Vaydor Roadster, Shaq asked for modifications to be made to the seats, lower dash, and pedals, while the roof had to be reportedly removed entirely.

Shaquille O’Neal’s life experiences have taught him that his height can be a boon as well as a bane. However, thanks to his great-grandfather, accepting it as a blessing allowed him to carve a successful career path, which continues to pay dividends even today.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.