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Shaquille O'Neal holds "Dr. J," Julius Erving, near and dear to his heart. As a hulking young man with no real direction, O'Neal wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with his life until he saw Dr. J play basketball in person.
Shaq admittedly used to get in plenty of trouble in school, and he also used to do quite a bit of bullying as well. Without much purpose, it was anyone's guess where O'Neal would end up.
After his stepfather took him to see Dr. J play as a kid, Shaq immediately knew what he wanted to do with his life. As he recalled, O'Neal's stepfather told him that he could make him a superstar, but only if he let him. He then turned things around, becoming a more diligent student while focusing on his future career as an NBA superstar.
When he played for LSU, Shaquille O'Neal had a moment when he awoke from a nap thinking he was dead. He recalled the story a few years ago during a speaking appearance:
"One of my dreams was to meet Dr. J … True story — he woke me up in my college dorm room one day. Seriously. He was going to speak either in Baton Rouge or LSU, and I was sleeping and woke up and I saw this good-looking brother with his hand on my chest.
"I was like, ‘God? God is a Black man?’ And then I said, ‘Dr. J?’ And after I said that, I thought I was dead. I said, ‘Damn, I’m dying in college? Can you believe this?’ And it was Dr. J. We talked and we had a good conversation."
It was the first time O'Neal had ever met his idol, and one of the most memorable moments of his life.
You can see him recalling the story in the video below.
Shaquille O'Neal's journey to the NBA thanks to Dr. J and his drill sergeant step-father
Shaquille O'Neal always makes sure to give credit to his stepfather, Sergeant Phillip Arthur Harrison for playing an integral role in his basketball career. From the time he saw Dr. J play at Madison Square Garden, O'Neal's life took a complete turn. After the NBA 75 Ceremony during All-Star week last year, O'Neal took some time to shout out his late stepfather for always believing in him.
“He takes me to Madison Square Garden, Dr. J goes baseline, throws it down, the crowd goes crazy. I look at him and say, ‘Sir, this is what I want to be when I grow up.’ His exact words, ‘If you listen to me, I’ll make you one of those most dominant big men ever.'”
As they say, the rest is history. Thanks to his stepfather's guiding presence and Dr. J motivating him, Shaquille O'Neal became one of the greatest centers in NBA history.
Below you can see his four-minute-long speech at the NBA 75 Ceremony where he recalls seeing Dr. J play in person for the first time, and the impact it had.
