"If you listen to me I can make you as great as Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain" - Shaquille O’Neal recalls father's advice the first time he picked up a basketball (2025)

Shaquille O'Neal was a kid with a size that didn't' make sense. Before he knew what a hook shot was, he was already towering over neighborhood kids, a walking mismatch before he even touched a ball.

But his father, Phillip Harrison, a tough, no-nonsense Army sergeant, saw a future legend. A young Shaq spent much of his childhood on military bases, moving frequently due to his stepfather's service in the U.S. Army.

His father's words

O'Neal's father never softened his words. His advice came wrapped in the kind of intensity that didn't leave room for doubt. One day, when the future NBA superstar picked up a basketball, Harrison laid out the plan straight and raw.

"He said, 'Listen, you are already bigger than everybody else,'" O'Neal recalled. "My father had higher education, but he told me, he said, 'If you listen to me, I can make you as great as Bill Russell, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain.'"

That list didn't mean much to a young O'Neal. But as time went on and he started understanding the game, those names became his blueprint.

Growing up, one of the most influential stops was in Wildflecken, Germany, where he honed his basketball skills against older competition. When his family returned to the U.S., he landed at Cole High School in Texas, where he dominated the court, leading his team to a 68–1 record and a state championship.

His father was setting a standard. Those were the names that defined dominance in basketball. Bill Russell with his rings, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar with his skyhook, Wilt Chamberlain with his records. If O'Neal was going to be great, those were the footsteps he had to follow — or better yet, surpass.

Following the path

O'Neal took the challenge seriously. His father's words became a mission statement as he navigated life from college when he was discovered by legendary coach Dale Brown — to his NBA career. His game style emulated those legendary players his father told him about.

"I didn't know those names, I knew Dr. J [Julius Erving]," O'Neal said. "But as I started studying the game and started playing the game, I wanted to be like them. I wanted to be mentioned in the same class as those guys. I paid attention to him and I just continued to work hard [and] continued to stay on that mission."

That mission turned into a Hall of Fame career. He became the most dominant force the league had seen since Chamberlain. He collected an MVP, four championships and three Finals MVP awards. His footwork and size made him unguardable in the paint. Defenders bounced off him like pinballs. His impact was so massive that teams had to develop entire strategies just to slow him down.

By the time he retired, O'Neal had done exactly what his father had envisioned and even superseded them as he is mentioned as an all-time great center. While he didn't have Kareem's longevity or Russell's championship count, in his prime, nobody could defend Shaq. There is a reason why he's viewed as the most dominant player in the history of this game.