Watch: “Dad, pushing me, my little sister covering for me” – Shaquille O’Neal gets emotional, gives 4-minute speech to thank people who influenced him the most

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the biggest and most imposing members of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. The legendary LA Lakers big man could be the most dominant force the league has ever seen. He is both humbled and honored by his inclusion into the league’s top 75 players of all time.

While working as a basketball analyst for “Inside the NBA,” O’Neal gave a lengthy and moving message to everyone who made his success possible Sunday. Shaq surprised fellow co-hosts Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith and Diamond Team member Charles Barkley with his heartfelt speech.

“What really saddened me about today is that my father couldn’t be there, my sister couldn’t be there and my main man, Kobe Bryant, couldn’t be there,” O’Neal said.

“A lot of people helped me get here, but those three. Dad, pushing me, my little sister covering for me, me and Kobe going back and forth, making each other great. It’s a great moment for me. It’s a great honor. And if I missed you in the thank yous, I apologize.”

Of the three, it was to his stepfather, Sergeant Phillip Harrison, who O’Neal gave the most profound thanks. The four-time champion credited his dad for making him a better player and, more importantly, a better person.

“I’d like to thank Sergeant Phillip Harrison. He’s the guy that told me one day that I would be here. I was a medium-level, high-level juvenile delinquent, who was always told that I would never, ever, ever make it,” O’Neal said.

“He convinced me to do well in school. Do well in school for me was all Cs. I get all Cs, he takes me to Madison Square Garden. Dr. J goes baseline, throws it down, the crowd goes crazy. I looked at him and say, ‘Sir, this is what I wanna be when I grow up.’”

Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant and O’Neal formed one of the most devastating duos the league has ever had the honor of witnessing. The two carried the Lakers to three championships and formed many iconic moments over the years. Despite their nasty breakup, they remained close friends until Bryant’s untimely death in January 2020.

Shaquille O’Neal used criticism to fuel his improvement to become an all-time great

Even early in his career, Shaquille O’Neal’s individual greatness was unquestioned. The NBA has never seen anyone as thoroughly dominating as him. Opposing teams would often send the entire five-man unit to guard him, and it would sometimes not be enough.

In many cases, putting him on the free-throw line, where he struggled for most of his career, was the only way to escape his dominance. The Hack-a-Shaq was born out of desperation in trying to contain O’Neal. That the NBA and the league had to adjust rules because of Shaq was only a starting point to his spectacular abilities.

Despite all of this, “The Big Diesel” still received criticism from a few of the most iconic names in the NBA. One such critic was no less than another LA Lakers legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. O’Neal used Abdul-Jabbar’s painful reality check to eventually bring three titles to the Hollywood squad.

“Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Love the man to death. One of the best big men ever,” O’Neal said. “I’m glad he didn’t baby me. I’m glad he told me like it was. I read an article one day that still hurts my heart to this day.

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“I’m averaging 29, I’m doing my thing in LA. And I say, ‘Hey, Shaq’s one of the greatest big men.’ And Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said, ‘How great is he, he hasn’t won a championship yet?’ Instead of crying and complaining, all those guys made me persevere and help me get to this point.”