Former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal is a girl-dad for sure.
On the latest episode of “The Pivot Podcast,” set to release on Tuesday, April 26, the 50-year-old opened up about his personal life and his relationship with his children, during which he revealed that his three daughters could “stay as long as [they] want,” while his three sons “got to go” when they become the legal age of 18.
“I like my girls a little bit better because as a man, you have to protect, provide and love your woman,” the former Los Angeles Lakers player told co-hosts and former NFL stars Channing Crowder, Fred Taylor and Ryan Clark.
“I trust them more because they’re more sensitive, they’re more caring, and they’re thinkers,” Shaq said of his daughters. “You know how boys are. My boys, you bring something in front of them, and they’re gone,” he continued before adding, “I tell my boys when y’all get 18, you all got to go. Girls can stay as long as they want.”
When asked if he was serious, the four-time NBA championship winner answered, “I’m dead serious.” He added, that the girls “can stay as long as y’all want; take your time. Go to college, get your master’s, get your doctorate, I’ll pay for it; take your time.”
Shaq’s parenting style appeared to draw mixed reactions from critics online. While some social media users expressed indifference toward how he chooses to raise his kids, including one person who quipped, “I really needed to know this,” others didn’t take it so lightly.
One person commented, “While that was my own choice at 18, the way we’re supposed to be in an equal society, is pretty hilarious. This is the norm where women are coddled and become entitled, and men, even the rich black ones, have to find their own way. About 90% of the time.”
Another person added, “Teaching the sons to be independent and the daughter to be lazy and dependent? Dumb parenting.”
Shaq shares four children, Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir and Me’arah, with his ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal. The “Basketball Wives” star has a son, Myles, from a previous relationship, whom the former athlete adopted, while he has a daughter, Taahirah, with his former girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh.
