One small interaction or passing conversation can stick with entrepreneurs throughout their entire careers. For NBA legend Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal, that lesson came from his father—and he’s lived by it throughout his journey spanning sports, business, and philanthropy.
“My father was a drill sergeant, but he always told me to honor people. Treat people with kindness. Treat people that are less fortunate,” O’Neal recently said during the Milken Institute’s conference. “Make sure you can give them things, especially things that you don’t need.”
One moment in particular solidified O’Neal’s outlook for life. His dad had just earned some extra money from work and wanted to treat the budding sports legend to a meal at White Castle. They both ordered five double-cheese burgers each for themselves, but on the way home, they came across a man with a sign: “Homeless vet, will work for food.” Without thinking, O’Neal’s father takes three burgers out of his hands and gives them to the veteran.
“I asked him, I said, ‘Why’d you give the guy my food?’ He said, ‘Because this gentleman needed them more,’” the basketball legend recalled. “And then he ended it by saying, ‘If you ever become big time—I know you have a lot of dreams, aspirations—make sure you always look out for the little man.’”
