Shaquille 'Shaq' O'Neal is perhaps best known as one of the most dominant basketball players to ever step onto the court. He was a virtual superhero, able to seemingly slam-dunk with an opponent hanging on each arm and another on his back. Yet there is much more to this man.
O'Neal never knew his biological father. His mother married a military man when he was young and O'Neal credits both of these people for who he has become.
At age 14, his father was stationed in Germany and Shaquille was a large, uncoordinated, shy boy with a stutter.
Coach Dale Brown from Louisiana State University met him at a basketball camp and saw his potential. He began to correspond regularly with Shaquille and both encouraged and challenged him to be his very best.
When he moved back to the United States and became an all-star high school basketball player, he remembered coach Brown and chose to attend LSU.
O'Neal promised his parents and coach Brown that he would not only be a basketball player, but also a student. He had the highest grade point average on his team, and despite going to the NBA before graduation, he has earned a bachelor's degree, a master's degree and a doctoral degree.
Shaq has also never forgotten where he has come from, nor the importance of the people who believed in him. He is constantly contributing to his community, often in very creative ways.
Recently a white police officer in Gainesville, Fla. responded to a call to deal with a group of African American boys who were "playing basketball too loudly" by joining them in a pick-up game, perhaps demonstrating how the game could be played more quietly. He promised to return "with backup."
When O'Neal, who lives in a nearby community, heard of this, he decided to become the backup.
Without the media present, he showed up at the outdoor game and stepped out of his vehicle, to the surprise of all present.
Not only did O'Neal play a game, afterward he reminded the boys that he was not any different from them. He had grown up in the same sort of neighbourhood doing the same thing that they were doing, and that he had gone on to earn $700 million. He told them that they too could become whatever they wanted to be. He advised them to be leaders and not followers, to treat their peers with respect, listen to their elders, especially their parents and stay focused on school. He then made them repeat this mantra.
O'Neal clearly understands that success is not just about being a dominant athlete, it is about being a good person.
It is also about giving back and making sure that our legacy does not end with us. Just as his parents and coach Brown had encouraged him and believed in his greatness, O'Neal teaches us to do the same for each other.
Believe in yourself and your dreams, treat others with respect, seek good counsel, work hard and be a leader. This is solid advice from a great man.
