me’arah o’neal

Shaq Presents His Daughter With Her McDonald’s All-American Jersey: Watch

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Shaq surprised his daughter Me’Arah with a special presentation of her McDonald’s All-American jersey during a recent episode of Inside The NBA. Me’Arah was visibly moved as Shaq presented the jersey to her and told her he was proud.

It was a special moment between the father and daughter, who lives with her and stepfather in Texas. Shaq recently opened up to Jason Kelce about how lonely his life is. “Enjoy your family, brother. I lost my family and I didn’t have anybody. You got the ring. [I] lost my whole family. I’m in a 100,000-square-foot house all by myself,” Shaq lamented on The Big Podcast.

Read More: Shaq Is A “Father Figure” To Angel Reese, LSU Star Declares

Shaq’s Daughter Commits To Florida

Later this year, Me’Arah O’Neal will head to Florida to begin her college career with the Gators. O’Neal chose Florida over seven other schools, including her father’s alma mater, LSU. “I went on the Florida visit, and I had a feeling that’s where I belonged. And that I was going to be most successful if I went to go play at Florida. I felt like I connected with Coach Kelly more than I connected with any of the other schools that recruited me. She really cares about me not just on the court but off the court. That’s important for me,” O’Neal said.

The #33 recruit in the 2024 class, O’Neal joins a promising Gators class that also includes #16 recruit Alivia McGill, the highest-ranked recruit Florida has ever landed in women’s basketball. Furthermore, O’Neal said that the choice to sign with the Gators was hers alone. “My family was just there to support me. I was pressuring myself to make a decision, but I learned I had to be patient. And I did make this decision on my own,” she said. The Gators have struggled this season, going 14-13 with a 5-10 record in the SEC. They close out their regular season against Auburn on Sunday. Florida has not reached the NCAA tournament since 2022.

Read More: Shaq Bet Money On Episodes Of Maury During His NBA Career

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Shaq’s Daughter Commits To Florida

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Me’Arah O’Neal, the daughter and youngest child of Shaq, has signed a national letter of intent with the Florida Gators. In a ceremony at her stepfather’s church in Texas, O’Neal chose Florida over seven other schools, including her father’s alma mater, LSU. “I went on the Florida visit, and I had a feeling that’s where I belonged. And that I was going to be most successful if I went to go play at Florida. I felt like I connected with Coach Kelly more than I connected with any of the other schools that recruited me. She really cares about me not just on the court but off the court. That’s important for me,” O’Neal said.

The #33 recruit in the 2024 class, O’Neal joins a promising Gators class that also includes #16 recruit Alivia McGill, the highest-ranked recruit Florida has ever landed in women’s basketball. Furthermore, O’Neal said that the choice to sign with the Gators was hers alone. “My family was just there to support me. I was pressuring myself to make a decision, but I learned I had to be patient. And I did make this decision on my own,” she said.

Read More: Royce Reed Claims Shaq Used To “Curse Her Out” For Ignoring Him While He Was Married To Shaunie

How Good Is Shaq’s Daughter?

Due to WNBA eligibility rules, O’Neal won’t be able to declare for the draft until 2028. However, she’s made it clear that it’s a step she wants to take. “I wanna make it to the WNBA. I wanna hold my own name, I wanna just be the best basketball player that I could be. Just reach my full potential and get a championship, make All-Star. Do all the big stuff and eventually make the Hall of Fame,” O’Neal said. Additionally, it’s a goal that her father believes is completely possible. “If she keeps it up, she will definitely be in the history books,” Shaq told ESPN.

It’s still unclear where O’Neal’s ceiling is. However, both her brothers and her coach think she’s one of the next big things for women’s basketball. “I’ve seen it [her game] develop tremendously. Because when we were kids, we’d always go at it. And like I said, I’d rough her up,” noted her brother Shaqir, who plays for Texas Southern. “We haven’t seen the best of her yet, like, not even close. I think we’re just scratching the surface. She’s just starting to blossom. … But we’ll see some amazing things,” added her private coach, ex-NBAer Moochie Norris.

Read More: Shaq Dresses As Emo Jimmy Butler For Halloween Episode Of Inside The NBA

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Shaq’s Daughter To Announce College Commitment This Weekend

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Me’Arah O’Neal, the daughter of NBA legend Shaq, is set to announce her college commitment this weekend in Houston. The news came as part of a lengthy ESPN profile about O’Neal’s journey as a player and her fight to leave her father’s shadow. Earlier this year, O’Neal revealed her eight finalists to be Arizona State, Baylor, Cal, Georgia Tech, Florida, Kentucky, LSU, and Tennessee. She will reveal her final decision at The Dream Center, the community center attached to her stepfather’s church. Reportedly, she told her father over lunch which school she intended to declare for earlier this week.

While O’Neal has her decision from a field of eight, she was initially approached by essentially every top program in the country. O’Neal is #33 on ESPN‘s Top 100 recruits for 2024. Furthermore, she is just one of nine recruits in the top 50 who are yet to declare for a college. “The word ‘elite’ is a little overused. But if you’re talking elite, she’s elite. There’s no question,” said ESPN’s director of recruiting analysis Shane Laflin.

Read More: Royce Reed Claims Shaq Used To “Curse Her Out” For Ignoring Him While He Was Married To Shaunie

O’Neal Eyes Pro Basketball

Due to WNBA eligibility rules, O’Neal won’t be able to declare for the draft until 2028. However, she’s made it clear that it’s a step she wants to take. “I wanna make it to the WNBA. I wanna hold my own name, I wanna just be the best basketball player that I could be. Just reach my full potential and get a championship, make All-Star. Do all the big stuff and eventually make the Hall of Fame,” O’Neal said. Additionally, it’s a goal that her father believes is completely possible. “If she keeps it up, she will definitely be in the history books,” Shaq told ESPN.

It’s still unclear where O’Neal’s ceiling is. However, both her brothers and her coach think she’s one of the next big things for women’s basketball. “I’ve seen it [her game] develop tremendously. Because when we were kids, we’d always go at it. And like I said, I’d rough her up,” noted her brother Shaqir, who plays for Texas Southern. “We haven’t seen the best of her yet, like, not even close. I think we’re just scratching the surface. She’s just starting to blossom. … But we’ll see some amazing things,” added her private coach, ex-NBAer Moochie Norris.

Read More: Shaq Dresses As Emo Jimmy Butler For Halloween Episode Of Inside The NBA

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