Former NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal Reveals Reasons Behind Targeting His Biological Father in a Song

Shaquille O’Neal ended his NBA career in 2011 after playing for nearly 2 decades. The Big Diesel enjoyed a Hall of Fame career, but he also pursued music during his early years.

In fact, O’Neal even released a song about his biological father in 1994 titled “Biological Didn’t Bother.”

Shaquille O’Neal never grew up around his biological father, Joseph Toney, as he relinquished his parenting duties to the late Phillip A. Harrison, who raised O’Neal as a child.

The Lakers legend grew up under the guidance of his step-father Harrison and did not reconcile with his biological father until 2016.

When O’Neal featured on ‘The Fat Joe Show’ recently, he was asked by the host to explain the motive behind making ‘Biological Didn’t Bother.’

The track was a part of O’Neal’s second album “Shaq Fu: Da Return” and it did well in the Billboard Top 100 charts as well.  Shaquille O’Neal dedicated the song to his stepfather while taking a jibe at Toney, his biological father. 

“Because at the time my biological father went on the ‘Ricki Lake Show’ without even hollering at me. So he went on the Ricki Lake show and he was saying that ‘I’m the dad’ and all that,” Shaq declared. 

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Shaquille O’Neal has now reconciled with his biological father

Joseph Toney parted ways with Shaquille O’Neal when he was just an infant. Sgt. Harrison groomed O’Neal during his childhood and shaped him into the man he is today. For Shaq, Harrison was like his real dad as Toney had never been around.

Things remained the same way until Harrison’s death in 2013. The Big man then learned the art of forgiveness and considered the past as water under the bridge.

He met his biological father Joseph Toney a few days before his Hall of Fame enshrinement in 2016 and uttered words of reconciliation.

“So I did the song but I just reconciled with my real pop. I just let him know hey I’m not upset I’m not mad,” O’Neal admitted. Shaq had also said, “I don’t hate you,” to Toney, who had jitters when meeting the man he left as an infant. 

Things are fine now, between Shaquille O’Neal and his biological father. Moreover, Shaq himself is a father of five and is setting a massive example with his parenting. 

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