"I drink Pepsi" - Shaquille O'Neal once had a hilarious response to a life-threatening warning from his stepfather

Shaquille O'Neal once shared a hilarious story of how he responded to his stepfather's threat if he ever caught him doing cocaine. O'Neal was raised by "Sarge" Phillip Harrison, who helped him become the man he is today.

On the "Earn Your Leisure" podcast in 2021, O'Neal discussed some of the aspects of his life growing up. The LA Lakers legend remembered the day Len Bias died due to a cocaine overdose in 1986. He was disciplined by the "Sarge" and warned him about drugs.

"Len Bias passed away from doing cocaine," O'Neal said. "My father came in and tore me a new one. He came into the house and said, 'If you do coke, I'll kill you.' And I'm so young and dumb, I was like, 'I don't do Coke, I drink Pepsi."

Shaquille O'Neal has been a fan of Pepsi since he was a kid. O'Neal even became an endorser for Pepsi during his career and even owns shares of the company. When he signed for the LA Lakers in 1996, Shaq called Pepsi one of his favorite things.

"I'm tired of hearing about money, money, money, money, money," O'Neal said. "I just want to play the game, drink Pepsi, wear Reebok."

O'Neal teamed up with Pepsi in 2021 for the company's "Stronger Together" campaign. Along with The Close the Gap Foundation, Shaq and Pepsi will help a community in Georgia with two programmes.

The first is de-escalation training for sheriff deputies and the second is renovation of several youth centers and domestic violence shelters.

"It has been wonderful to be involved with Pepsi Stronger Together to help enrich communities around the country," O'Neal said in a statement. "As a resident and Director of Community Relations of Henry County, I care deeply for the Atlanta community."

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How did his stepfather help Shaquille O'Neal during his career?

Shaquille O'Neal at the Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder match.

While Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most dominant players in NBA history, he was not immune to pressure during his career. O'Neal, at times, didn't know how to handle pressure and his stepfather, "Sarge" Phillip Harrison, would teach him lessons about that.

On the "Pivot" podcast, O'Neal revealed how his stepfather brought him to a homeless family to show him what real pressure looked like.

"He said, 'You spoiled motherf***er, this is pressure. Pressure is when you don’t know where your next meal coming from. I don't ever wanna hear you say you can't handle the pressure again. It's f***in' basketball.'"