“I’ll kill you if I ever catch you using coc*ine!” Shaquille O’Neal’s father Phillip Harrison begged his step-son to never touch drugs
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Shaquille O'Neal and Philip Harrison
Shaquille O’Neal is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and a four-time NBA champion. Shaq was a two-time NBA scoring champion and a 15-time All-Star. On the basketball court, he accomplished everything and was named to the NBA’s 75th anniversary squad. Phillip Harrison, an Army drill sergeant, was Shaq’s father figure when he was growing up as Toney, his biological father, was not present in his life.
He recently talked about how his father instilled discipline in him at an early age to help him get on the right track. O’Neal also talked about how Boston Celtics rookie Len Bias’ sudden death affected him and his father. Shaq appreciates his father for preventing him from getting involved with drugs and bad company.
Shaquille O’Neal discusses the impact Len Bias’ death had on him and his father
“I respect him more for raising somebody else’s child – and disciplining that child as if it was his own child,” Shaquille O’Neal said to The Undefeated 2016. “Without him, I wouldn’t be here today. I’m glad he did it. I did some stupid stuff, stealing cars, hanging with bad people, being around places where drugs were at.” Shaq’s position has remained unchanged as he revealed how “doors started opening” after he learnt to listen to Harrison at home during a recent visit on The Pivot Podcast.
Shaquille O’Neal said that until he was 11 years old, he had no idea Harrison wasn’t his biological father and Harrison passed away in 2013. Since then, he’s met Joseph Toney, his biological father, who abandoned him when Shaq was a child. The huge man stated that he bears no resentment. “The worst ass-whoopin’ I got was when Len Bias passed away” Shaq remembers. Len Bias was a former basketball player who died at the age of 22 from a cocaine-induced heart attack. Harrison came into the house like Bias was Shaq’s brother and he started going crazy according to O’Neal. He was then crying and grabbing Shaq he told: “If I ever catch you doing coke, I’ll kill you.”
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