Photo Credit: MARK J. TERRILL / AP

Shaquille O’Neal Recalls Lesson From His Father About What Being Under Pressure Really Means

While NBA players are frequently under pressure to deliver, with the media, critics and fans always right around the corner, they get to live a life most could only dream of in return. 

With their million dollar salaries and sponsorship deals, NBA players and their families don’t ever have to worry about any financial issues.

Granted, there are plenty of examples of NBA players going broke, but that mostly is due to their own financial miscalculations and habits.

In his interview for All Things Covered, Shaquille O’Neal talked about a great and humbling wake up call from his father, that made him realize that he was living in a fairy tale and the outside world was much different.

“The pressure is not knowing when your next meal is coming from. One day after a game against the NY Knicks I had a terrible game, and my father told me get your ass on the plane and get home now. He asked me if I couldn’t take the pressure, and I said yeah, the pressure got to me. He said, get your ass in the car, and there was this homeless family he used to take care of. It was a guy, his wife, and two kids in the middle of the street. He said, this is pressure, god damn you, and then he tells me to get out of the car. He told me to take care of them, and I got them a place to stay for a year. I found out the guy is pretty good in the gardening world, so I hooked him up with a guy that had his own gardening service and got him a job. I took them to Best Buy, where I got him some TV and furniture, and he was able to take care of that family.”