Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most entertaining characters in the NBA. The Big Man, despite being one of the best players to ever play in the league, is popular for a ton of other things. One of them are his iconic quotes that take everyone by surprise. He has the unique ability to churn out sayings that become iconic phrases in themselves. Some of them are a natural result of his innate sense of humor while others originate from the interesting experiences that seem to abound in his life.

The Los Angeles Lakers legend has always been a skillful orator and manages to transform his thoughts into words so quickly that he can easily captivate the audience. Recently, the Big Man revealed all his secrets to the world – how his excellent oratory skills became a part of his varied skill set.

Shaquille O’Neal reveals the birth of ‘The Big Aristotle’

The NBA icon named himself ‘The Big Aristotle’ after winning his first NBA MVP award in 2000. Shaq deemed it a fitting way to commemorate his laurel at the turn of the century. “From this day on, I want to be known as ‘The Big Aristotle,’ because Aristotle once said excellence is not a singular act, it’s a habit,” said Shaq after winning the award 23 years ago. He added, “You are what you repeatedly do.“ 

However, in the most ‘Shaq’ way possible, it was later revealed that the famous philosopher Aristotle never said those words! It just serves as an example of how the hilarious Big Man keeps the audience thoroughly entertained. Similarly, Shaq recently appeared on The Pat McAfee Show to share more of his jokes spiced up with some inaccurate anecdotes. AJ, a member of the podcast, questioned Shaq on the origin of one of his iconic quotes.

“…‘My thought process begins where normal humans’ apexes.’ I just wanna say did you come up with that on the spot?…“ asked the member of the podcast – to which the Big Aristotle had a hilarious reply locked and loaded.

“Another confession is, I wasn’t really born, I was found on the train,“ joked Shaq. He went on with his characteristically serious face, “A lot of people think I’m an alien. A lot of times these thoughts just come to me, I just go outside and these thoughts just come to me.“

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Shaq goes on to explain how he realized early on that being great wasn’t enough and he had to be perfect. The Big Man has mentioned numerous times how these ideologies were instilled in him by his father, Sergeant Phillip Harrison, a man who had an enormous influence on his career.

Shaq’s father’s influence on his career

The Big man has credited his father for a lot of the success in his life. The Lakers legend once mentioned a story when his father smacked ‘the Magic Johnson’ out of him, in the middle of a game – which refers to Shaq’s attempt to emulate someone else on the court rather than be himself. The Big Aristotle’s father famously shouted from the sidelines, demanding more discipline from his 7’1″ child.

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Sgt. Phillip Harrison motivated his son to be himself and accept who he is, a major reason behind the enormous success of the 50-year-old. In the recent documentary Shaq, it was revealed how the Lakers legend broke down in an unprecedented manner when his father passed away in 2013. 

In motivating him to play only himself and no one else, Shaquille O’Neal’s dad surely made him into the popular star he is today – albeit still a bit ‘alien’!