Shaquille O’Neal recently released the first episode of his docuseries titled ‘Shaq’. The first episode deals with his journey from being just Shaquille to becoming ‘Shaq’. The episode contains several untold stories about the 4-time NBA champion and his family. One such story deals with a helpless father who made a bold prediction about Shaq.
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Shaquille O’Neal fell in love with basketball after watching Julius Erving (Dr. J) play live. During that game, Shaq realized that he wanted to do what Dr. J did. He wanted to become a basketball player. Shaq’s stepfather Philip Harrison said, “If you listen to me, I will make you one of the best basketball players ever.”
The first step in Philip’s coaching book was to make Shaq realize that the ball couldn’t kill him. Thereafter, Shaq spent a lot of time on the court with his father. His mother, Lucille O’Neal, would also chime in as she played basketball as well.
The prediction made about 10-year-old Shaquille O’Neal
When the Big Aristotle first started playing, he was taught two moves that were to “catch it (the ball), look left, look right, dribble and off the glass.” Additionally, because of his genetic composition, Shaq was taller than an average 10 or 11-year-old. So that made it seem like Shaq had a lot of experience playing ball for he didn’t look his age.
With that said, the 4-time NBA champion narrated a story from the past. It was in New Jersey when Shaq was playing ball with his peers. Shaq was dominating the game not because he was good, but because he was taller than those around him. He stated that his peer’s father stormed onto the court to rescue his son.
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While pointing at Shaq, a boy’s father said, “No way that m*****f***** is 10 years old!” He further stated that if Shaq was only ten-years-old, then he would eventually become the best basketball player to have ever existed. Then, the father walked off the court with his son.
Following this, Shaq’s father said, “See? See? If you listen to me, I’m gonna make you the best player ever.” In hindsight, with all the success Shaq has received, many would claim that prediction has turned out to be a reality.
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Have you watched the first episode of Shaq’s docuseries? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.