“Motherf**ker Get Out of My Face”: Distraught at Not Going Pro, 17-Year-Old Shaquille O’Neal Got Yelled at Amid Brutal Lesson From Sergeant Father

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal did not have the most favorable conditions growing up. He belonged to a humble family with his stepfather and mother playing a huge role in shaping his life. Although he showed signs of greatness when he was still young, he failed at going pro. The setbacks certainly did not slow him down. He wanted to try his hand at going pro again but this didn’t bode well with his Sergeant father. Phillip Harrison was tough on his son more often than not, but it was for his own good.

In the recently released ‘Shaq’ documentary, the former NBA champion details a huge argument with his father when he failed to go pro. O’Neal was just 17 and he wished to have another shot. However, his father was having none of it as he yelled at his son in front of his mother which left the former NBA champion questioning his life choices.

Sergeant father once lashed out at a young Shaquille O’Neal 

With a physicality like no other and immense basketball talent, Shaquille O’Neal was the next big thing. However, his journey to the league was filled with challenges. 

He failed to go pro once while playing for the LSU Tigers and this naturally left him distraught. O’Neal wished to have one more shot which didn’t sit right with Harrison. He wanted his son to complete his degree.

In the ‘Shaq’ documentary, the Los Angeles Lakers detailed the conversation he had with his father that fateful day. During a segment of the first episode, Shaq said, “I said, I wanna go pro. He’s going ‘motherf**ker…. get out of my face’. So my mom said come with me baby. And my mom said ‘balance this check book’. I didn’t know what the f**k I was doing.” 

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Not only did Shaq manage to go pro, but he also became one of the greatest players ever. Shaq Diesel has four NBA titles, three Finals MVP awards, and a regular season MVP award to his name alongside many other accolades.

Shaq rebelled to decide on his future

Shaquille O’Neal rebelled against his father for the first time while deciding on his future. In the same documentary, he revealed how not going pro was affecting him. The games were usually very violent and that might’ve cost Shaq his entire career in case of an injury.

He once argued with his father regarding his future and made a very important decision. Shaq said, “They f***ing me up in school. I’m going. And it was the first time he looked back at me and he realized he had created a man.”

Sergeant Phillip Harrison usually used traditional parenting methods which was a reason why O’Neal rarely spoke out. However, in this instance, he rebelled and this ultimately helped him achieve what he has today.

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