Shaquille O’Neal’s kids are following in their father’s footsteps, aiming to have a professional career in basketball. The Los Angeles Lakers legend left a huge legacy in the league and his children are trying to carry it in the next years.
Besides Shareef O’Neal playing for Shaq’s alma mater Louisiana State University, his daughter Me’arah is showing her quality in Southern California as part of the UCLA Bruins. A recent video of the girl playing a local game has gone viral, as she shows she’s as dominant as his father was.
She’s played in UCLA since last year, and there are high expectations around her. Carrying the O’Neal last name isn’t an easy job, but Me’arah is taking advantage of that more than anything else.
The 15-year-old is set to make the big leagues in 2024 as a very interesting prospect, as Benjamin Royer of Sports Illustrated wrote last August.
Me’Arah O’Neal is now the second of four O’Neal children to pick up an offer from the Bruins. The rising sophomore at Crossroads School in Santa Monica (CA) received an offer from UCLA women’s basketball Monday. O’Neal’s brother Shareef O’Neal went to UCLA for a season and a half before transferring out of the men’s basketball program in favor of LSU in Jan. 2020. She is also the daughter of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and former Los Angeles Laker Shaquille O’Neal.
During her freshman year at Crossroads, O’Neal started all 24 games, averaging 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game.
In ESPN’s rankings for the 2024 women’s basketball recruiting class, O’Neal is currently rated as a three-star post player with a 90 overall grade.
Shaq’s kids got some of the skills his father showed during his honored NBA career. Now it’s time for them to create their own story and make the man proud. Me’arah learned one or two things from him and is putting them into practice against her rivals. The future looks bright for this girl and O’Neal must feel very proud of that.
