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Shaquille O’Neal Apologizes to Yao Ming After His Father Calls Him Out:
Shaquille O’Neal got into trouble in 2003 after making an offensive remark about Houston Rockets rookie center Yao Ming.
Little did he know that Yao had idolized him for years. Shaq’s father insists on a genuine apology from his son.
Shaquille O’Neal stated that his father ordered he apologize to Yao Ming after he made an offensive remark
In the early months of the 2002-03 season, news outlets were all over O’Neal after a tape leaked of him making racially offensive remarks toward Yao Ming.
According to the Los Angeles Times, O’Neal did not realize he was being racist when he said, “Tell Yao Ming, ‘Ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh,'” but his statements drew widespread criticism.
He delivered a public apology, but there was a call from within his own family for more serious action.
O’Neal told Sean Evans of Hot Ones that his own stepfather, Phillip Harrison, was particularly angered by his behavior, in part because Yao used to write letters to Harrison stating his devotion for Shaq.
The Diesel revealed to Evans that his father had expected that he demonstrate sorrow and increased awareness.
Yao, for one, said he never took offense to O’Neal’s first statements, but he added that it was critical to bridging the gap between different cultures and large populations.
“I believe there are many issues in two distinct cultures understanding one other, particularly in countries with very huge populations, such as China and the United States,” Yao told the Los Angeles Times.
“The world is shrinking and people are becoming more culturally aware.”
Nonetheless, O’Neal made certain to comply with Harrison’s request.
According to the Los Angeles Times, he even studied saying “Toy-inches,” the Chinese term for “I’m sorry,” so he could apologize to Yao in person.
Diesel’s connection with his stepfather was complex
When Shaquille O’Neal was a child, his biological father abandoned him and his mother.
He was raised by Harrison, whom he dubbed “The Sarge.”
When Shaq was only two years old, Harrison married O’Neal’s mother, Lucille.
Harrison, a former military man, went to tremendous pains to teach discipline to his stepson, but not necessarily in the most appropriate way.
O’Neal revealed that his stepfather used to “whoop” him in front of the class when he was younger, but that Harrison’s tactics ultimately kept him on track.
As O’Neal put it, he had been a “serious, high-level juvenile criminal,” and Harrison went to great lengths to keep his son from following in his footsteps.
Harrison’s death in September 2013 triggered a flood of emotions in Shaq.
Despite his stepfather’s frequent preaching of a more hardened approach, O’Neal has shown emotion and devotion when discussing the impact Harrison had on his life.
Harrison’s requirement that his son makes a formal apology to Yao gave rise to a lifetime relationship.
Also, read Giancarlo Stanton, Matthew Christopher Schnell, John Daly’s Married Life:
Shaq and Yao are still close to this day
Shaquille O’Neal and Yao Ming talk during a 2014 NBA exhibition in China.
What began as a squabble has since developed into a lovely friendship.
O’Neal told Evans on Hot Ones that he always makes time to see Yao when he is in China.
Back in 2016, the two were in the same Hall of Fame class.
Yao made a joke about his free-throw line touch, while The Diesel told an amusing story about how he discovered Yao could speak English.
Shaq and Yao are two of the game’s all-time greats.
They’re also friends, thanks in part to The Sarge’s demand that his son accepts responsibility and apologize.
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