Banking $292,000,000 22 Years After Father Shoved His Chest, Shaquille O’Neal Blurts Out Unheard Details About a Fateful Day

NBA legend and former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O’Neal made a boatload of money during his highly successful 19-year NBA career. Notably, the five-time champion earned a total of $292 million after playing for different franchises in the league. However, the Big Diesel would not have earned a single penny from the league if his father, Philip A Harrison was not there to guide him at the right time. Shaquille O’Neal once revealed the details of the fateful day his father shoved a newspaper on his chest, an incident that would change his life forever.

The 15x All-Star revealed an important lesson about a decade ago. Shaq grew up under the tough upbringing of Harrison, after his own biological father had abandoned him. The military sergeant was a strict parent and instilled strict discipline in the Big Diesel to ensure that he stayed away from bad influences. The four-time champion has always thanked his stepdad for showing him the right path and helping him to be the man he is today.

Shaquille O’Neal disclosed how his father guided him in 1989

In a 2011 interview, Shaq revealed how his father shoved a newspaper on him one day to make him realize his true potential. It was on that fateful day that the Big Diesel realized that he could make a fortune from the NBA. During the interview, the now 51-year-old recalled, “In 89 [1989], one day my father came into house sweating and he told me to read the paper. He actually shoved it in my chest like, if you keep working on your game you can do this.”

Subsequently, Shaq added that it was then that he got to know about the former Atlanta Hawks player Jon Koncak, who had signed a three-year contract worth $15 million at the time. While speaking about the contract, the Big Diesel said, “I was like five million a year, I’m bout to go get this money.” 

Shaq was playing for Cole High School in San Antonio at the time. Despite being a talented 7 feet center, the future Lakers icon was fighting for recognition. Being a military kid, Shaq was pretty new in town. Moreover, the school didn’t have the resources to provide the big man with a platform to blossom aptly.

However, Sergeant Harrison’s little pep talk provided the necessary motivation for Shaq to make a name for himself by absolutely tearing apart the hardwood and breaking rims. The four-time NBA champion would soon turn out be a walking nightmare for opposition defenders. The  51-year-old finished the interview by saying, “No, seriously then I started… by  time I came out I was able to make $40 million.”

Shaq’s father made him learn to save money in his own way

In a 2018 interview with CNBC, the former Lakers player revealed how his father used a tactic to help him save money. During the interview, the four-time champion said, “Every time an athlete would do something crazy, I would get in trouble for it. So my father did a very great job using scare tactics.”

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Shaq continued, “A lot of athletes, when they’re done playing, they have no income. And they go broke. And I never wanted to be like that. So even when I was making a lot of money playing basketball, I would come home and see my father, and [he’d] be like, ‘Yeah, but what are you doing with your money?’”

Well, the tactics of Harrison actually worked as the former Lakers player is now one of the wealthiest athletes in the world with a net worth of around $400 million.

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