west_tip
09-27-2016, 03:02 AM
Tons has been written about Shaq's relationship with Kobe but in reading Shaq's book I found the dynamic between him and "Sarge" equally fascinating.
I am 2/3's the way through the book now and I've got to say thus far his Dad comes out of it looking a little ridiculous. Confronting Phil Jackson on the court is about as idiotic as it gets. I can see a parent doing that when their kid is an adolescent but in the NBA? It's unfathomable to me that a parent would think they have any place involving themselves in their adult sons affairs to that extent.
I know Shaq attributes his success to his Dad and no doubt a boy like Shaq needed a strong father figure to keep him in check but the amount of interfering this dude did in Shaq's basketball career seems unnecessary. If I had to wager I think his helicopter parenting style might have inhibited Shaq's growth as a person and prevented him reaching his full potential because he sheltered Shaq and advocated for him to an excessive degree.
Coming in to the locker room and threatening that Shaq won't play in a game at LSU was bad enough but the weirdest part of his Dad's interference was when he chastised Dale Brown for bringing Kareem in to teach him the skyhook because he said Shaq was a "power dunker". I don't understand how you get mad at a coach who is trying to expand your sons skill set.
The other thing that seemed a little strange to me was the fact that by his own account Shaq spent all his childhood in poverty. I know you are not exactly going to become a millionaire when you are in the military but I would have thought that the average soldier makes enough money to support a family yet the way Shaq tells it they were dirt poor.
I am 2/3's the way through the book now and I've got to say thus far his Dad comes out of it looking a little ridiculous. Confronting Phil Jackson on the court is about as idiotic as it gets. I can see a parent doing that when their kid is an adolescent but in the NBA? It's unfathomable to me that a parent would think they have any place involving themselves in their adult sons affairs to that extent.
I know Shaq attributes his success to his Dad and no doubt a boy like Shaq needed a strong father figure to keep him in check but the amount of interfering this dude did in Shaq's basketball career seems unnecessary. If I had to wager I think his helicopter parenting style might have inhibited Shaq's growth as a person and prevented him reaching his full potential because he sheltered Shaq and advocated for him to an excessive degree.
Coming in to the locker room and threatening that Shaq won't play in a game at LSU was bad enough but the weirdest part of his Dad's interference was when he chastised Dale Brown for bringing Kareem in to teach him the skyhook because he said Shaq was a "power dunker". I don't understand how you get mad at a coach who is trying to expand your sons skill set.
The other thing that seemed a little strange to me was the fact that by his own account Shaq spent all his childhood in poverty. I know you are not exactly going to become a millionaire when you are in the military but I would have thought that the average soldier makes enough money to support a family yet the way Shaq tells it they were dirt poor.