Shaquille O’Neal’s Proudest Moment Isn’t What You’d Expect

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 14: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Shaquille O’Neal attends a semifinal game of the Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena between the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks on December 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bucks defeated the Hawks 110-102. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
By Mallory Mattingly

Shaquille O’Neal’s proudest moment in his NBA career might not be what you’d expect.

A video of Shaq with outdoorsman Bear Grylls resurfaced recently. In it, as the pair sat around a fire in the woods, the NBA star asked Grylls, “You ready to dream with me?” before describing the moment.

The two closed their eyes, and Shaq began, “You’re inside the Staples Center. The Lakers were down the whole fourth quarter by 16. If they lose this game, they will not go to the finals. Kobe has the ball at the top of the key. He crosses Scotty Pippen up; he goes to the wing. What is this? Is this a shot? No, it’s a lob. The lob is too hot. Oh, my gosh. Shaq comes out of nowhere and throws it down. He’s running down the court like this.”

“A lot of people ask me, ‘What was I pointing at?’ Before I left, my son was 2 years old. He said, ‘Daddy, I want you to win.’ So, when I threw the lob from Kobe, I threw her down; he was sitting in the suites. I’m pointing up at him. That’s my proudest moment,” he recalled.

Shaq is a proud father of six: Shareef, Shaqir, Amirah, Me’arah, Myles and Taahirah.

“I have two wonderful women that have given me beautiful, gorgeous children. I have to protect and I have to provide and I have to love for them forever,” he told “The Pivot Podcast” of his responsibility as a father.

Though he never pushed his kids to follow in his footsteps, Shaq’s son Shareef decided the NBA is his dream, though following that passion has been hard.

In 2018, Shareef underwent open-heart surgery. A year after, he shared on Instagram, “One year has passed by since my heart surgery … a year ago today I was scared for my life. A year ago today I was learning how to walk again. A year ago today, I was turned into a new kid. A year ago today, my life changed. I thought I was going through hell while dealing with this process, but then I realized it was a blessing that it was found.”

“I am very grateful for my health today, and I will always be,” Shareef added. “I also want to thank everyone who stuck with me through this and uplifted me when I was down. I want to thank my family and friends for everything they did, too. This year has been a big struggle, and I’m still finding my way back into things.”

Now, Shareef is back on the court and is playing the game that he loves so much.

It’s not surprising that Shaq’s proudest sports moment has to do with his kids.