Chris Roy

Shaquille O'Neal looked his six kids dead in the eye and told them they were not touching a single cent of his $400 million empire unless they earned two college degrees first. He made it clear: "We ain't rich. I'm rich." ​ ​The best part is that he actually enforces it. ​When his son Myles wanted to be a DJ, Shaq made him present a full business model before funding a single piece of equipment. Today, Myles holds a Las Vegas residency. His son Shareef is working a real job for his dad at Reebok. His oldest daughter Taahirah graduated Magna Cum Laude and went straight into corporate communications. And just this past May, his son Shaqir graduated from college and immediately announced he was going back for his second degree just to meet his father's baseline standard. ​We live in a culture where parents bend over backward to give their kids everything they never had, but in the process, they strip away all their drive and character. Shaq realized that handing his children everything would ultimately teach them absolutely nothing about the value of hard work. ​Fame and wealth didn't stop him from being a traditional father who demands accountability. How many other parents actually have the backbone to raise their kids with this kind of standard today?