Shaquille O’Neal reveals a touching reason why he’s’sad’ over his Orlando Magic jersey being retired (exclusive)
On February 13, Shaquille O’Neal will become the first Orlando Magic player to ever have his jersey number retired.
On February 13, Shaquille O’Neal will become the first Orlando Magic player to have his jersey number retired, and the former NBA star is overcome with emotion.
“It genuinely makes me sad, and I am going to explain why. “The guy that created all this passed away about nine, ten years ago,” O’Neal tells PEOPLE, referring to his stepfather Phillip Harrison, who died in September 2013 due to a series of health concerns. “My mother will be present, so this is more their moment than
Mark Gray January 18, 2024 3-Minute Read
On February 13, Shaquille O’Neal will become the first Orlando Magic player to ever have his jersey number retired.
Kevin Winter/Getty Shaquille O.
Kevin Winter/Getty Shaquille O’Neal
On February 13, Shaquille O’Neal will become the first Orlando Magic player to have his jersey number retired, and the former NBA star is overcome with emotion.
“It genuinely makes me sad, and I am going to explain why. “The guy that created all this passed away about nine, ten years ago,” O’Neal tells PEOPLE, referring to his stepfather Phillip Harrison, who died in September 2013 due to a series of health concerns. “My mother will be there, so this is more their moment than it is.
When O’Neal was hurt playing football, his father brought him a news article about a typical NBA basketball player earning $15 million. Harrison even took his soon-to-be-famous stepson to see the $15 million man play in person, and O’Neal believed he was already better than the pro player.
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“That moment right there just made me turn to a basketball,” O’Neal said.
O’Neal also admires former Magic owner Richard DeVos, who drafted the center out of Louisiana State University in 1992.
