Shaq‘s childhood was a difficult one. The former basketball player was primarily raised by his mother, Lucille, who was left alone after his biological father abandoned them.
After Sgt. Harrison’s death in 2013, Shaq sought out his only remaining biological father, Joseph Toney. This was a major turning point for O’Neal, who only a decade earlier had decided not to have a relationship with him.
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Many years after abandoning him and his mother, Joseph finally received a visit from the son he had distanced himself from years earlier.
That visit, which took place several years ago, was like untying a knot in Shaq‘s throat. It didn’t erase the scars, but it did weave a new thread into his story: a mixture of tears, pride, and a complicated love that only time and forgiveness could forge.
The reunion was at the request of his mother
In an interview with Anas Bukhash, Shaq talked about the first time he saw him again.
“One day my mother called me after my father died. She said, ‘You should contact your biological father. So I said, ‘Well, call one of my uncles who’s a cop. Track him down, find out where he is,” Shaq said.
After investigating his whereabouts, O’Neal was surprised to learn that his biological father lived in a building where he liked to go for lunch.
“So I met him, we talked, we had a good time. And he said, ‘I’m sorry. I said, ‘You don’t have to apologize, brother. I got a wonderful life. Everything that could happen to Shaquille O’Neal happened,” the legend explained.
Not only that, he surprised him with a car
In the same interview, O’Neal said he gave his biological father a car and the reason will make you laugh.
“I surprised him by buying him a car. He asked me, ‘What’s it for? I said, ‘Whenever he comes into town and tells me to come see him, don’t make me wait 30 minutes. I bought him a car, so we’re okay. That’s because my mom wanted it that way,” was Shaq‘s surprising confession.
Here we see the value he places on the words of his mother, Lucille O’Neal, the great figure who became for him during the most difficult moments of his childhood. That’s why he found the courage to see his father again without resentment or hatred.
Of course, he has made it known that at the age of 50 he does not need him as such, but he has a certain affection for him for having brought him into the world.
