Shaquille O’Neal has had several of his sons play big-time college hoops, but none have risen to superstar status or made it in the NBA. Among Shaq’s six kids, he has constantly touted his daughter Me’Arah as having unlimited potential and a real pro future.
Shaq Says Daughter Me’Arah Has Surpassed Him As Best Athlete In The Family
After an 18-point and eight-rebound game in a huge 98-30 win over Evansville, the Kentucky University junior received huge props from her Hall of Fame dad, who appeared on the “Playmaker” podcast.
“My baby’s the best athlete in the family,” Shaq said. “And you know, she’s not an old school player. She’s this new pick and tight player, so I’m going to go ahead and give her the title. She can shoot, she can dribble. I don’t get emotional crying alot but sometimes when I watch her play I want to cry because I’m like, she’s really good…I was watching the highlights and she hit like four or five three. It actually made me jealous.”
“SHE IS A HIGH MOTOR UNDER CONTROL PLAYER!!!” one fan commented.
“She got game for real but look at her dad . That DNA is in there. She got her dad’s skill set and more!” another excited fan expressed.
“idn’t even realize that was his daughter. I wasn’t watching the game last night like yo shorty is KILLING,” said a fan who was surprised to find out the Me’arah is Shaq’s offspring.
The praise was followed by some fan skepticism.
“She doesn’t show up against real competition though and she compounds that with horrible body language when things don’t go her way. It’s easy street right now vs cupcakes. Check back in when SEC play starts,” one netizen commented on X.
Shaq has a total of six kids, and Me’Arah is the fourth to play in college. His oldest daughter Taahirah O’Neal (daughter with former girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh) and adopted son Myles O’Neal (Shaunie Henderson’s biological son) didn’t play ball.
However, Shareef O’Neal (son with ex-wife Shaunie Henderson) played at UCLA and LSU. Amirah O’Neal (daughter with ex-wife Shaunie Henderson) played college basketball as a walk-on at LSU and later at Texas Southern. Shaqir O’Neal (son with ex-wife Shaunie Henderson) balled at Texas Southern, Florida A&M and Sacramento State.
Me’Arah, a 6-foot-4 forward, played her high school ball at Episcopal High School in Texas before committing to the Florida Gators, where she started all 33 games for the Gators, averaging 13.6 points per game, 6.4 rebounds per game.
Her move to Kentucky has taken her game to another level. She is now being recognized as one of the best pro prospects in the country playing under veteran head coach Kenny Brooks. Through four games, the 12th-ranked Wildcats are 4-0, and Me’Arah is impacting the success.
She’s averaging 12 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game on a talented team that has National championship ambitions. She’s also been very efficient. According to Sports Reference, she has a 28.9 player efficiency rating. By comparison, Caitlin Clark had a 22.7 PER this season for the Indiana Fever.
Shaq has incredible genes and it seems that the bulk of his athletic superiority has been passed down to his daughter. As she continues to shine and Kentucky continues to win, we will be hearing more and more about her for sure. It’s getting harder and harder for Shaq to stay quiet.
