Shaquille O’Neal says he believes in ‘respectable’ nepotism: ‘I got it cracking. Now it’s up to you to keep it cracking’
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal describes how he parents his six kids, why he considers them perfect and his mission to help underserved youth achieve their full potential.
Video Transcript
SHAQUILLE O'NEAL: I try to teach my sons that when you're with a woman, you have to protect, provide, and love. My daughters are like my little women, so I have to protect, provide, and love. So if they want to stay at home a few more years until they figure out, that's my job as a father, until they get ready to go into the world or until I pass them off to a husband. My boys are men. They have been men a long time. The boys understand. They understand it. They do.
Growing up, I was the funny disciplinarian with my children. Like the first thing I tell them is like, yes we are living like this. But it's only a small percentage that live like this. And I take them around the corner to their cousin's house and be like, see what I told you. We're here. We're not going to run away from it. You can keep being here, but this is what you have to do.
I never spanked my kids. I used to chase them around like I was a wild dog. Like, did I tell you to come here? Ay ya ya ya ya. So you know, especially like when they were little, and I'd be like, don't do that. And then I'd pin them down and tickle them and say, don't do that. So it was a little different but it worked for me.
I can truthfully say that I don't like throwing this words around, but I've got six perfect children. They've never given me problems. They've always listened, they've always been respectful. And I can't say I did it all by myself, but I had two wonderful mothers who actually did most of the work.
Education for my kids, for myself, is very important to me. I have a contract with my daughter in law school. You get into law school, you get a nice little thank you Daddy package. Not with the boys, though because I don't think my boys are law school material. But all my girls are.
I do believe in nepotism. But I believe in respectable nepotism. Like if I built a company, I want you to know how to run a company. And that's what I'm trying to teach my kids. Like hey, I'll give it to you. But you're going to have to give me something back. You're going to have to show me when I get ready to go into the old folks home, you got to show me that you can run it.
I've got six kids. Just give me one or two, please. Take over what I've built and add on to it. This ain't about me. It's about you and your kids, your kid's kids, and your kid's kid's kid's kid's kids. I got it cracking, now it's up to you to keep it cracking. If not, we going to go back to where we used to be, in the projects. Is that what you want?
The mission of my foundation is to just help underserved youth achieve their full potential. Boys and Girls Club was a safe haven for me. And luckily, I live right across the street from the projects. Mom would say, because they couldn't afford a babysitter, one of my aunts worked there and said, hey, go over there and stay in there till we get back.
It was there that I cultivated the character Shaq. It was there that I cultivated the Shaq that likes to rap and do all that stuff. It was there that I could just you know, be different. Communities at school, like a lot of these schools, because of budget cuts and funding, they need help. So I want to be the guy to make sure they get the bags, and the pencils, and the shoes, and the heaters, and all that stuff.
My parents never told me to do this, though. I just try to do it, and hopefully they will follow. I never say, do this, do this, do this. I just try to lead by example. Now that they're adults, I just tell them, be smart. And you got to know what's going on. And you've got to know that all eyes are on you. And you have to be a leader, not a follower.
I love being a dad. I love having real conversations with them. I don't have to be hard on them because they didn't have the same trials and tribulations that I had growing up. When I came outside it's pat pat pat pat pat. People on the corner, pat pat pat pat. Gang fights, this and that. They don't have that. They wake up, chef, school bus, friends. So they don't have to see that. So I'll have to be na na na na na. But I always give them a hard look to let them know I'm serious. I'm lucky because they know I love them. They know I support them. I love my babies.
