It took a while for Shaquille O’Neal’s mother to find her footing again. The spotlight that the basketball legend got and still demands often overshadows the people around him. Lucille O’Neal is well aware of that. After struggling with identity loss, she had to start again. However, that hasn’t blocked all the things she has to face on social media where she revealed to have received odd requests from people.

Speaking to Brandi Harvey, the mother of four declared how social media has been both good and bad for her. One of the reasons for the latter is that many random people approached her to get through to her son. Many even kept asking her for money. “Because of the negative press and so many of the negative things and so many of the lies and people come on you don’t know who they are they beg for money,” she shared.

Podcast host and entrepreneur Brandi Harvey, who has a famous father, Steve Harvey, could also relate to Lucille. But the mother of four finally warned the people to stop asking her for money on social media as she doesn’t have a regular job. “Definitely don’t ask me for nothing I don’t have a regular job,” she asserted. 

But that doesn’t mean that the mother of four isn’t kind and helpful. Generosity and helping people in need are the two qualities that O’Neal learned from his parents. It’s their teaching that Shaquille O’Neal often helps random people. Just a few days ago, the basketball legend gave a $500 gift card to a couple at the JCPenney. This couple returned the favor by using the money for their charity work. But not all people have the same intention.

And probably that is why Ms. O’Neal issued the warning. And Lucille has herself been a known philanthropist. She has helped Boys & Girls Clubs of America with initiatives addressing hunger, literacy, and family strengthening. She has come to establish herself well. But it was a tough road. 

Lucille felt like she lost her identity after her son got famous. “I lost my identity when Shaquille got drafted to the NBA. People didn’t know who I was or only referred to me as being Shaq’s mom,” Lucille O’Neal once said. But this identity crisis would help convince Ms. O’Neal make the biggest decision of her life. This was also one of the rare times when she borrowed money from her son for that same reason.

Lucille O’Neal wanted to complete her education 

When she realized her identity crisis, Lucille O’Neal, was determined to kick-start her career again. “Being a mother of children who play basketball or get into the world of entertainment causes you to reflect a lot. Who am I without all of this attention that’s being brought on to the family? So, I just re-examined myself,” O’Neal said. And that began with her education.

Surprising her son for the first time, she asked for money for her college. This was around the 2000’s. “I got a call one night. She said, ‘Baby, I need to borrow some money’. I said, ‘Why?’. She said, ‘I wanna go to school,” the Los Angeles Lakers legend said.

She joined Bethune-Cookman University’s adult education program. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Ms. O’Neal decided to pursue her postgraduate studies at the University of Phoenix and acquired a Master of Arts in Organizational Management. She has written two books and the Bethune-Cookman University honored her with the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters in May 2016. 

Even though her son is a millionaire, the mother of four has preferred a lifestyle that she can afford with her own money. If Ms. O’Neal is striving to stand on her legs, it’s understandable why she isn’t interested in fulfilling these odd requests.