Tragic Details About Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal may have retired back in 2011, but the 19 incredible seasons he spent in the NBA are still some of the most memorable in history. The basketball legend, who first hit the professional court in 1992, left the sport almost two decades later with three consecutive championship wins and 28,596 points to his name. It wasn't long after that he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. During his acceptance speech in 2016, he recalled how his father, Phillip A. Harrison, would quiz him about the sport when he was growing up, and he shared his one hope for the future. "When a father is quizzing his son on the great big men of the game, hopefully Shaquille O'Neal's name will be in the answer," he mused.

It certainly is in the answer to this day, but O'Neal hasn't just stayed top-of-mind thanks to his epic career. Since retiring as a professional athlete, he's made a name for himself as a sports anchor while also making headlines for a host of other reasons. Whether it be O'Neal's hilarious friendship with Adam Sandler, his roasting of Kanye West, or his warnings about LeBron James, Shaq is in the news as much as ever. However, despite the decades he's spent in the spotlight, there is plenty fans may still not know about him. Namely that the prank-loving and uber successful O'Neal hasn't always had it easy. Here are the tragic details about Shaquille O'Neal.

As a Kid, He Had a Debilitating Stutter

Shaquille O'Neal may be one of the greatest basketball players of all time, but growing up, he felt like an outcast. "When I was little, I stuttered so bad and was really embarrassed by that," he revealed in a 2011 Dove Men+Care ad. He first noticed it around the time he was 5, and things were especially bad at school. He feared speaking in front of a class, so he kept quiet, even when he knew the right answers. "I'd be sitting there like, 'Please don't call me. Imma read it, imma stutter, everybody's gonna laugh at me,'" he revealed.

When he was called on, he preferred to get a bad grade rather than participate. As he shared with the Blank Center for Stuttering Education and Research in 2023, "[I] definitely got teased a lot, made me not confident in school." It wasn't until he was in college that he learned to overcome his fear. That's where he took a speech class in which he had to do a presentation in order to pass, and the professor made it a point to work with him one on one.

His Mom Kept His Biological Father a Secret Until Shaq Was 11

Shaquille O'Neal has always been incredibly close with his mother, Lucille O'Neal. As he shared in his 2022 HBO documentary, "Shaq," she always believed in him and told him he was special, but for a long time, she also hid a big secret from him – and the world. Shaquille was just 2 years old when Lucille married army drill sergeant Phillip A. Harrison. They had three kids together – Ayesha, Lateefah, and Jamal Harrison – and the basketball legend never doubted that he and his siblings had the same father.

As Shaq recalled in the four-part doc, his dad once promised him, "If you listen to me, I'll make you one of the best basketball players ever." And that’s just what he did. The two developed an unshakeable bond, and Shaq still credits Harrison for his success. However, when he was 11, his world was rocked by the discovery that Harrison wasn't his biological father. That's when he asked his mom why his last name was different from his siblings', and she told him the truth.

He Struggled to Build a Relationship with His Birth Father

Phillip A. Harrison told Andscape he thought of Shaquille O'Neal as "my flesh and blood from the beginning" – the feeling was mutual. When Shaq first learned of his birth father, Joseph Toney, he wanted nothing to do with him. "When I turned 18, the other guy showed up," he once said. "I was kind of upset with him." Indeed, Toney told the Los Angeles Times that Shaq ignored him, while Harrison actively pushed him away.

In 1994, Shaq even released a diss track titled "Biological Didn't Bother" in which he proclaimed Harrison "was the one that took me from a boy to a man, so as far as I'm concerned, he's my father." Toney was hurt, telling the Los Angeles Times that he never expected to be shut out. After Harrison died in 2013, Lucille pushed Shaq to meet Toney. At their first encounter, Shaq said, "I'm not mad at you; I don't hate you." As he later told Dr. Phil, "My job is to just love him as much as I can now."

The NBA Star Was Physically Abused by His Stepdad

Phillip A. Harrison may have helped Shaquille O'Neal achieve greatness, but he did so by relying on his belt and his hands for discipline. Defending his actions, Harrison once explained that his dad was even more physical with him and that his actions were meant to help his son stay out of trouble. Interestingly, Shaq has praised Harrison's strict parenting on numerous occasions. He stated that he respects him for raising somebody else's child and disciplining that child as if it was his own.

However, Jackie MacMullan, who co-wrote the book with Shaq, shared just how physical things would get. "We're not talking about spanking, we're talking about a belt," he clarified. According to MacMullan, things got so intense that Harrison's parenting style was a major factor behind Lucille O'Neal's decision to eventually divorce him.

Shaquille O'Neal Lost His Younger Sister to Cancer

When Shaquille O'Neal's mom, Lucille O'Neal, married Phillip A. Harrison, they wasted no time growing their family. Shaq and his three siblings from his mother's union with Harrison were all incredibly close. They kept that tight bond into adulthood, and so, when Ayesha Harrison-Jex died of cancer in October 2019 at just 40 years old, the loss shook Shaq to his core.

Lucille spoke about her youngest daughter's health, saying she was first diagnosed with cancer behind her ear at age 23. Shaq later shared that he assumed she’d be in remission again because she had cancer a couple of times before and they managed to beat it. Her death caught him off-guard and impacted his health significantly.

Kobe Bryant's Death Rocked Him

Just three months after Shaquille O'Neal's younger sister died of cancer, he was dealt another blow when Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Although the pair famously feuded, they always respected each other, and the loss hit close to home. As Shaq revealed in his HBO documentary, "Shaq," Bryant's death had a very real impact on his daily life.

He admitted to having major regrets about their relationship, stating, "I'll never get to see Kobe again, in real life, forever, and I just should have called." Despite their differences on the court, the MVPs pushed each other to be better, and although they fought, they never held grudges.

Doctors Told Him He Could Die

Shaquille O'Neal has been open about his struggles with insomnia, but back in 2011, he discovered his sleep problems may actually stem from a dangerous health condition. He was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea, which can lead to hypertension or strokes. This diagnosis prompted him to take his health seriously and start using a sleep machine.

Mayo Clinic explains that sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that can lead to significant health risks. It can cause fatigue during the day and is linked to various serious health issues, including high blood pressure and heart problems.

Shaquille O'Neal Became Dependent on Painkillers

Professional athletes often face great pressure to perform at their best, and Shaquille O'Neal experienced this firsthand. To manage the pain from various injuries, he turned to painkillers, which eventually became a staple of his pregame regimen. He later revealed that even after retiring, he continued to use painkillers to cope with discomfort.

However, after a doctor's visit revealed that the painkillers had weakened his kidneys, he decided to stop using them. O'Neal emphasized that while he was dependent on painkillers, he did not consider himself addicted.

Major Regrets About His Failed Marriage

Shaquille O'Neal has expressed that he has three major regrets in life, with two relating to his relationships with fellow NBA players and one about his romantic unions. He married Shaunie Henderson in 2002, and they had five kids before separating in