9 months ago
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Shaquille O’Neal, commonly known arsenic conscionable Shaq, 51, mightiness beryllium known arsenic 1 of the champion hoops players of each time, but different rubric mightiness occasionally elude him among fans fixed his immense empire: doting dad. The erstwhile hoops subordinate is simply a arrogant dada to six children, much specifically, 3 daughters and 3 sons: Me’arah, 17, Shaqir, 20, Amirah, 21, Shareef, 23, Myles, 26, and Taahirah, 27, whom helium shares with 2 erstwhile partners.
The sports expert has spoken astir his children before, antecedently offering insights connected his tough emotion parenting style portion speaking to PEOPLE successful 2015. “I expect them to bash their best,” Shaq said. “My lad got a D connected a insubstantial 1 time, and helium said helium couldn’t find the information. I went off.” The erstwhile jock joked, “I said, ‘Let maine archer you something, buddy. You’ve got Google. You got Bing. What bash you mean you can’t find it? When I was your age, I had to spell to a neighbor’s location and bargain an encyclopedia.’”
“The satellite is astatine our fingertips,” helium continued. “As adults, we person to assistance kids recognize that.” It mightiness dependable tough, but it’s wide the erstwhile hoops subordinate loves his children. Below is everything you should cognize astir Shaq’s six children, astir of which whom instrumentality aft their begetter and person hoops successful their blood.
Me’arah O’Neal
Me’arah is Shaq’s youngest kid and 1 of the 4 children that helium shares with his ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal. Like her father, hoops is successful her blood. The teen plays for Crossroads School successful Santa Monica, California arsenic center. Her Instagram relationship is filled with photos and clips of her games. The precocious schoolhouse teen has already received a fig of offers for assemblage basketball, including UCLA, Oklahoma State, and the University of Virginia.
Shaqir O’Neal
Shaqir is Shaq’s youngest lad and 1 of the 4 children that helium shares with ex Shaunie. Like his begetter and his siblings, Shaqir plays hoops for Crossroads School successful Santa Monica arsenic forward. More excitingly so, the teen is assemblage bound. Shaqir volition be Texas Southern University and play shot there, arsenic helium antecedently announced connected Instagram backmost successful April. Per ESPN, Shaqir said helium chose the university to “change the narrative” connected historically Black colleges. “You tin expect a batch of buckets,” helium said. “I’m trying to get to the league.”
Amirah O’Neal
Amirah is 1 of Shaq and ex Shaunie’s 4 children. No astonishment here, but Amirah besides plays hoops astatine the aforesaid precocious schoolhouse arsenic her younger siblings Me’arah and Shaqir arsenic forward. She volition besides soon articulation her younger member Shaqir arsenic a pupil astatine Texas Southern University, wherever she volition besides play ball. She announced the quality connected Instagram conscionable past period and captioned the post, “I spot the uncertainty successful they faces, they didn’t deliberation I would marque it.”
Shareef O’Neal
Shareef is 1 of Shaq and ex Shaunie’s 4 children. He follows successful his celebrated dad’s footsteps successful much ways than one. Yes, similar his family, hoops is besides successful his blood. Shareef is simply a assemblage hoops subordinate for the Louisiana State University Tigers, 1 of his dad’s alma maters. He initially began his collegiate hoops vocation astatine UCLA betwixt 2018 and 2020 pursuing his graduation from Crossroads. During that time, helium really underwent unfastened bosom surgery to repair an abnormal coronary artery that helium was calved with.
“The betterment was hard. It was hard to beryllium astir and bash thing for astir a year,” Shareef antecedently told the Los Angeles Times. “So the intelligence broadside I had brainsick thoughts successful my caput [and] radical telling maine this and that. I had to overcome. Every clip I play, I inactive deliberation astir it. Every clip I look successful the mirror, I person this elephantine scar connected my thorax [that’s] going to beryllium determination forever.”
Shareef opened up adjacent much astir his surgery, connected an occurrence of Eric Mika‘s podcast, Now For Later, successful July 2023. “I privation that to beryllium a portion of my path. Like, ‘He went done this erstwhile helium was young to benignant of change his way but helium made it backmost to a consecutive pathway again,'” Shareef explained astir his acquisition with the surgery. “I consciousness similar In 20 years I privation to beryllium known arsenic that kid who fought backmost from thing that was life-changing and made his dreams travel true.”
He besides talked astir his diagnosis of anomalous coronary artery, which is “a coronary artery that has an abnormality oregon malformation,” according to Stanford Health, earlier joining the UCLA hoops team. “It was hard due to the fact that I was ranked the No. 1 subordinate successful California astatine the clip successful my class,” helium explained. “And I was going to a schoolhouse successful California. So, the momentum was going truly steep, similar up, up hill. Everybody was excited. When they told me, I honestly thought I wasn’t gonna beryllium capable to play hoops again. This each happened wrong astir 3 weeks earlier the play is starting.”
After further explaining his bosom utilized to bushed accelerated arsenic a child, Shareef, who besides praised his parents for helping him during his recovery, revealed what doctors told him the risks were if helium didn’t get the surgery. “One happening they told maine is simply a batch of radical person this but they don’t cognize ’cause you person to bash this 1 definite test,” helium said. “So, you tin play hoops for the remainder of your beingness and you tin perchance beryllium fine, but 1 time it could happen. So, it’s benignant of similar you’re playing with your beingness if you take not to get surgery.”
Although helium was frightened earlier the surgery, helium got done it and had to endure an aggravated betterment process, including learning however to locomotion again. He besides mislaid value and went from 215 pounds to 170 pounds. “You tin spot my ribs,” helium said. “I was ace skinny.”
Shareef went connected to accidental helium was force-fed successful the infirmary but helium had to beryllium cautious however overmuch value helium carried. “Them breaking done my sternum I couldn’t transportation thing implicit a definite magnitude of value for 7 months ’cause if I were to overwork the wires successful my sternum, it could beryllium crucket oregon it could conscionable interruption connected its own,” helium said. “It was truly hard.”
Myles O’Neal
Myles is 1 of Shaq and ex Shaunie’s 4 children, though Shaq is not his biologic father. Shaunie welcomed Myles with a erstwhile spouse anterior to marrying the famed hoops player, truthful the duo are stepfather and stepson — but the emotion is precise overmuch there. Myles would often share throwback photos with Shaq connected his societal media, including a day station for his dada with a “love you.” Unlike his siblings, Myles is not a hoops subordinate but a TV property and DJ. Along with appearances successful his parents’ world shows Basketball Wives, Shaq Life, and Shaunie’s Home Court, Myles has besides appeared connected The Hills: New Beginnings.
Taahirah O’Neal
Taahirah is Shaq’s firstborn. The jock shares his oldest girl with his erstwhile woman Arnetta Yardbourgh, whom helium dated for 4 years successful the 1990s anterior to gathering Shaunie. Like her member Myles, Taahirah has forged a antithetic way from hoops and works arsenic a societal selling and assemblage outreach specialist. Per her LinkedIn, Taahirah is presently a communications adjunct expert astatine PepsiCo. On Shaq’s 49th day this twelvemonth successful March, Taahirah shared a saccharine clip connected Instagram of her dada receiving a monolithic acquisition container from her company.
“BEYOND thankful for my @pepsistrongertogether family,” she captioned the post. “My squad and I amazed him a fewer nights agone with each his favourite things. Pops was SO happy. He volition ne'er hide his day this year.”
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