Basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal expresses his desire for his children to steer clear of professional basketball careers.
Shaquille O'Neal, one of the basketball greats in history, emphasizes the importance of a well-rounded education for his seven children. In a recent interview on "TODAY," he shared that he doesn't want to see another basketball player among them. Instead, he encourages them to pursue careers in fields like law, medicine, engineering, or AI invention.
O'Neal, 53, expressed this sentiment by saying, "We don't need another basketball player, at all." If they wish to play basketball, he is open to it, but he strongly advises they also pursue higher education.
The hall of fame athlete also shared his parenting philosophy, stressing that he does not raise entitled children. Emphasizing the value of hard work, he joked that to benefit from his resources, his children must earn multiple degrees—a metaphorical "touch of Daddy's cheese."
All four of O'Neal's older children with his ex-wife Shaunie are part of this group. Shareef, 25; Shaqir, 21; Amirah, 23; and Me'arah, 19.
O'Neal continues to inspire his children with examples of the sacrifices he made to achieve greatness in basketball. In the Netflix docuseries "Power Moves With Shaquille O'Neal," he candidly speaks with Shareef about the moments he missed in his own life because of the sport. "You know you're going to have to give everything up, right?" O'Neal tells Shareef, reminding him of the trade-offs that come with success.
Shareef has acknowledged the impact of his father's absenteeism. Recalling in the Netflix series, "My dad missed birthdays, games, Christmas. I respected that, but I know when I was a kid, we always used to ask, 'Is Dad gonna be there?'"
Despite his busy schedule, O'Neal maintains a hands-off approach to parenting, giving his children the freedom to discover their own passions and pursuits while still instilling the value of hard work and personal responsibility.
Despite his success in basketball, Shaquille O'Neal encourages his children to explore fields beyond sports, such as law, medicine, engineering, or AI invention, emphasizing the importance of a well-rounded education. In fact, O'Neal, who has four older children with his ex-wife, has jokingly told them that they must earn multiple degrees to benefit from his resources, a metaphorical "touch of Daddy's cheese." Despite moments of absenteeism due to his basketball career, O'Neal continues to inspire his children by reminding them of the sacrifices he made to achieve greatness, reinforcing the value of hard work and personal responsibility.
