Shaq Reveals He Turned His Home Gym Into a Freezing Holding Cell When His Daughter's Boyfriend Stayed Over
Shaquille O'Neal has long been known for his hands-on approach to fatherhood, often leaning into humor and discipline to make his points. But during a recent episode of 'The Big Podcast,' the NBA legend shared a story that highlighted the stark contrast in how he parents his sons versus his daughters—particularly when it comes to dating.
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Co-host Adam Lefkoe posed the question, "Shaq, have your daughters ever had a boyfriend stay over?" O'Neal didn't hold back in his responded. "My boys gonna have their girlfriend stay over anytime they want. Daughters? I actually had this happen to me, so I didn't know she had a boyfriend. So she comes one day... and you know, he's cool. I'm being nice, whatever, and I'm waiting. Me and Kenny waiting."
O'Neal went on to describe what happened next. "Towards the end of the night, he tries to go upstairs. We're like 'No, no, get your a— in the back,'" he said, sharing how he redirected the boyfriend to his home gym—what he and his friends humorously dubbed "the dungeon."
The ordeal didn't end there. O'Neal detailed how he and a friend monitored the boyfriend throughout the night. "We drop it to 50 [degrees], like man, that's too cold, bring it up to 70. We watch him all night. We gave him one cover. He didn't get a good night's sleep." He added, "He didn't get a good night sleep but, uh he woke up the next morning ... he's like, 'I think I have a cold.'"
The episode highlighted the stark contrast in O'Neal's parenting rules. While his sons are allowed to have girlfriends over, he expects his daughters to meet a much higher standard. In the past, he famously said, "Don't bring no boys to my house unless you got a master's."
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O'Neal's contrasting attitudes also came into focus when he made a remark about LSU basketball star Angel Reese's "little shorts" during a podcast episode. The comment stood out, especially in light of his well-known protective stance toward his daughters, Taahirah, Amirah, and Me'arah.
