Shaquille O’Neal Gave His Sons a Reality Check on Chasing NBA Dreams
Making a name for yourself in the NBA is a difficult task, but when you add the pressure of an iconic last name to the mix, it becomes a different ballgame. Over the years, several players have had to go through that rigorous process of shedding their burden and making their presence felt.
Recently, Shaquille O’Neal, in ‘The great podcast with Shaq’ He talked about the lesson he teaches his children, especially those who want to follow in his footsteps.
With a Hall of Fame resume and all the money in the world, you best believe he’s a tough figure to follow.
Fortunately, there are some references of players who had a popular surname but still managed to rise to the occasion. However, Shaq said his children will never enjoy the fruits of his labor without putting in effort. So, those who pursue a career in basketball will have to do everything on their own, the only thing that will serve them on a silver platter is their wisdom.
Shaq said Stephen Curry and the late great Kobe Bryant entered the league as the sons of former NBA players. He said that he tells his children,
“Kobe grew up like you grew up, Steph Curry grew up like you grew up… but the difference between us and them is that they work too hard.”
The big guy said the pressure of a popular last name made these athletes work twice as hard as their peers to be great. So if Shaq’s kids want to be great, they’ll have to fully dedicate themselves to the craft, too.
However, he doesn’t necessarily force them to play basketball, but whatever they want to be in life, they have Shaq’s support.
Shaquille O’Neal’s six children have chosen different professions
Since Shaq didn’t want everyone to play basketball like his father, they haven’t let him down with your career choices. Shaq’s firstborn, Taahirah O’Neal, 27, graduated magna cum laude from Oglethorpe University and later worked at PepsiCo as an associate communications analyst.
Taahirah also opened her company a few months ago.
Her son Myles O’Neal, 26, is interested in the fashion industry and has worked as a model for several brands.
Myles also likes to accompany his father on his DJ gigs.
Shareef O’Neal, 24, is religiously following in his father’s footsteps and is currently signed to the G League. His daughter Amirah, 22, and his son Shaqir, 20, also have an interest in sports, but since they are very young, their professional decision is not very concrete. Shaq’s youngest, Me’Arah, 17, is sure she wants to be an athlete and in November of last year she declared her commitment to play at the University of Florida.
