Michael Parris is a slightly lesser-known mentor of 4x NBA champion and Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal. As we all know, Shaq is considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of basketball and an unstoppable force on the court. Throughout his life, O’Neal has given a significant amount of credit to his stepfather Philip Harrison. After all, he took Shaq under his wing and raised him despite having no biological connection to him.
However, it turns out that Michael Parris also played a role in Shaq’s development. This would make sense considering that he is O’Neal’s uncle and would have known his nephew before Harrison came into the picture. Since we know Shaq turned out quite well, let us look at what Michael Parris taught him and how his presence impacted O’Neal’s life and childhood.
Michael Parris managed to guide Shaquille O’Neal during his basketball struggles
While Shaq certainly put in a fair share of hard work and effort to make it in the NBA, he had a significant amount of support from his family. Even before Philip Harrison took over and helped train him, Mike Parris was giving him advice on how to grow into a more responsible man. This advice also translated to the basketball court, where O’Neal was undergoing certain struggles.
Shaq had almost grown to full size and seemed unstoppable in the eyes of his opponents. Therefore he was constantly double-teamed or even triple-teamed in order to prevent him from dominating. Since this also increased the probability and frequency of injuries, it led to O’Neal feeling a sense of frustration towards how he was being treated on the court. It also ended up impacting his love for the game. Thankfully, Mike Parris was able to intervene and give Shaquille O’Neal the motivating words he needed to keep moving forward.
“Fortunately Uncle Mike, like he often did, gave me the advice I needed to hear at the time. He told me that I needed to be my own man, and make my own decisions. He reminded me not to get too wrapped up in what others do during a game because whenever I stepped onto the court to compete, the only feet in my sneakers would be my own. His guidance renewed my sense of ownership over my talent and gave me the confidence I needed to advance my career on my own terms and go pro.”
Although Parris might not have known what Shaq was going through, he managed to convey that each person can only control their own actions and must walk their own path. These were motivating and reassuring words that O’Neal needed in order to keep persevering and eventually make it to the NBA.