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LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Shaquille O’Neal (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers is congratulated by his father Philip Harrison (L) after the Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 106-88 in Game Two of the NBA Western Conference first round play-offs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA 26 April, 2001. O’Neal was the high scorer with 32 points as the Lakers take a 2-0 lead in the series. AFP PHOTO/ Vince BUCCI (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
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LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: Shaquille O’Neal (R) of the Los Angeles Lakers is congratulated by his father Philip Harrison (L) after the Lakers defeated the Portland Trail Blazers 106-88 in Game Two of the NBA Western Conference first round play-offs at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA 26 April, 2001. O’Neal was the high scorer with 32 points as the Lakers take a 2-0 lead in the series. AFP PHOTO/ Vince BUCCI (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has had one of the greatest careers ever. However, he couldn’t achieve any of it without the help of his family members. O’Neal has talked on multiple occasions about how his family has helped him become the person he is today.
Apart from being one of the greatest basketball players ever, Shaq is a very successful businessman and has multiple business ventures under his belt. One of the biggest reasons why Shaq has such a huge following around the world is his kindness and humbleness towards other people in the community.
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In a recent interview, the former Los Angeles Lakers star revealed that his father, Sergeant Phillip Harrison, was an example to him during his childhood. Moreover, Shaq also talked about an incident involving his father and a homeless man that changed the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s outlook on life. His father offered some leftover food to a homeless man after the father son duo had a hearty meal in a restaurant.
Shaq revealed, “On the way home, we see a sign. Homeless guy, ‘we’ll work for food’. So, my dad pulls over and I’m upset like, hey man, why are you giving them? ‘Shut up’, yes sir. So, he’s sitting there and talking to the guy, he has a tear in his eye.“
Shaq was very young back then. After that incident, he learned the valuable lesson of respecting every human being and treating every body with kindness.
He further talked about how he feels the same way as his father when he sees homeless people now. Safe to say, the Lakers legend is doing his part in helping the needy. The millionaire has multiple philanthropy ventures under his name which are focused on helping the public.
Shaquille O’Neal and his numerous philanthropy ventures
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has a huge net worth of around $400 million, according to reports. Despite all the stardom and fame, O’Neal has not forgotten about his roots. In other words, he is quite active in helping the poor and needy.
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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA – NOVEMBER 27: Shaquille O’Neal reacts during the first half of a game between the LSU Tigers and the Texas A&M Aggies at Tiger Stadium on November 27, 2021 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
The Shaquille O’Neal foundation regularly works to help people in impoverished communities. During the pandemic, the foundation collaborated with Icy Hot to donate around $320,000 to high schools whose sports programs were impacted by the lockdown.
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What is your favorite memory of Shaquille O’Neal? Let us know in the comments down below.
