The new Shaq-u-mentary is streaming now on HBO… have you seen it yet? Not all the episodes are out, but new episodes are on the way. Backing that up, a big new article is out from The Athletic magazine / website. Hats off to them for the info connected to this post.
Not surprisingly, with so much time being spent on Shaq’s story and history, there are plenty of interesting new insights coming to light. Plenty of people who know Shaq relatively well are saying this new series is really digging out some interesting nuggets.
For example, O’Neal says he has really struggled with insomnia – not being able to get to sleep – ever since the death of his sister Ayesha Harrison-Jex from terminal cancer back in October 2019. That was followed by the tragic death of his former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant in February 2020.
As a follow up to the HBO series, O’Neal talked openly and honestly to The Athletic about some of his low points in both his personal life and on-court work. For example, he says there was a time he depended on painkillers to get through games. In addition, he talks about personal regret over how his infidelity contributed to the end of his marriage, telling the magazine, “At some point as a man, you’ve got to look in the mirror and say I (messed) up, and I did that many a night…trust me.”
Shaq talks about conversations he’d wished he’d had with former teammates, such as Penny Hardaway. And of course there’s the loss of Kobe, which devastated the big man.
Again, talking to The Athletic, O’Neal says he wanted to open up and be more relatable with the HBO program. “I just wanted to show people the real insight of me,” O’Neal said. “Showed you a lot of snippets of who I am, very jovial, very friendly, helpful. Just wanted to show you everything, show you some vulnerable moments. This will be the last time I get vulnerable.”
The man who directed the project is Rob Alexander. He said capturing what he called the “happy Shaq” was pretty easy. We often see Shaq’s bright and shiny side in experiences like his position on TNT’s Inside the NBA as well as his business and philanthropic interests.
The other side was – not surprisingly – considerably more difficult to get on video. As for the difficult moments, Alexander said, “Those moments are incredibly delicate. You work very hard to allow someone to be that vulnerable, that open with you. I think Shaq is very aware of what he’s presenting. I definitely feel like the environment of us allowed itself to open up to a place of depth that neither of us was anticipating but probably hoping, and you just keep going, you keep pushing.”
As part of the series, Alexander was also given access to some of O’Neal’s children. Three of O’Neal’s children — daughter Taahirah and sons Shareef and Myles — were interviewed for the series.
Shaq talks about the positives and negatives of fatherhood from his superstar perspective. “One thing I think they do appreciate is how hard I work for them,” O’Neal said. “It’s a blessing. I know people that don’t have a relationship with their kids. As crazy as I was, as bad as I was, for them to still love me, call me daddy, I’m nothing but blessed. That’s why I’ll never complain.”
Remember, the series is streaming now on HBO Max. If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a quick peek of what’s in store with the official trailer. Check it out here: https://www.hbo.com/shaq