Shaquille O'Neal isn't just a Hall of Famer—he's a firm believer that dating a single mom means you just drafted the kids too.
"I have a lot of children," O'Neal said. After a brief pause, he added, "I have a lot of children I'm responsible for."
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More Than Just a Headcount
O'Neal's family is already well established. He has six children in total— four with ex-wife Shaunie O'Neal, one daughter with ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh, and Myles, whom he raised as his own.
He has never publicly separated that distinction when it comes to Myles. Just as he doesn't label roles in his own upbringing, he doesn't do it with the next generation either.
That puts him at five biological children, but six by every measure that matters to him.
Still, that number isn't where his definition stops.
"If I ever date somebody and I become close to the child, I'm the daddy now," he said on the podcast. "So I'm responsible for a lot of kids."
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The Lesson That Set the Standard
That mindset traces back to his mother, Lucille O'Neal, and the man who would later become his father figure, Philip Harrison.
O'Neal described how Harrison approached his mother while she was working and made his interest known. But the response came with a condition that changed everything.
"If you want to date me, you got to take care of my son," he said, recounting his mother's words.
That man didn't remain a stranger. Harrison became the dad who helped raise him — and the example stuck.
"And look what he turned me into," O'Neal said.
He has also reflected in the past on how much that relationship shaped him and how highly he values it. In an interview with journalist Graham Bensinger back in 2015, he said, "The term stepfather I don't really use. I use father. He's a guy who made me who I am."
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A Rule He Still Lives By
That early lesson became a lifelong standard. For O'Neal, being part of someone's life means showing up fully—especially when children are involved.
"I've sent a lot of kids to college and watched them have kids and all that stuff," he said on the podcast.
The idea isn't tied to biology. It's tied to presence, consistency, and responsibility.
"People know how many children I have," he said. "But I'm responsible for a lot of kids."
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