Shaquille O'Neal's daughter Me'Arah unleashes dominant mixtape on dad's big night
Shaquille O'Neal's 17-year-old daughter Me'Arah O'Neal put the spotlight on herself amidst her father's major announcement that his jersey is about to be retired by the Orlando Magic. In the basketball mixtape, Me'Arah showed that she could also dominate a basketball court like her father.
A video shared by Ballislife Women's Basketball shows a younger Me'arah playing for Episcopal High School. In the reel, Shaq's daughter showed versatility on both ends of the floor. She displyed a good hand in shooting by sinking a three-pointer.
Just this November, Me'Arah O'Neal inked a national Letter of Intent to join the Florida Gators to further her basketball career and move forward in her budding basketball journey.
Already 6-foot-3, Me'Arah ranks 33rd overall in the 2024 recruiting class as per HoopGurlz rankings. The young O'Neal visited Florida in September and opted to play for the Gators based on her tight connection with coach Kelly Rae Finley.
Shaquille O'Neal didn't interfere with Me'Arah's choice to play basketball for the Florida Gators
Being an LSU alumni, Shaquille O'Neal could have pulled the strings to get her daughter into the same school he played for during college. In an interview with ESPN upon the announcement that Me'Arah chose Florida over LSU, the proud father told reporters that he stayed out of the decision and let her make a stand on where she believes her career will thrive.
"What I did tell her is, 'Go where you're needed, not where you're wanted,'" Shaquille O'Neal said, "Because if you go where you're wanted and they got other people like you, may take a while.' I want [my kids] to have their own journey, have their own experience."
Other schools in consideration for Me'Arah O'Neal were Arizona State, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Tennesee, UCLA and Kentucky.
Shaquille O'Neal gets his jersey retired by the Orlando Magic
The team that drafted Shaq as the first overall in the 1993 NBA draft, the Orlando Magic, has decided to make O'Neal their first NBA jersey to be retired.
O'Neal played his first four seasons in the NBA for the Orlando Magic. He averaged 27.2 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.8 blocks a game. In 1995, the former LSU Tiger helped the team go to the NBA Finals to battle with the Houston Rockets alongside Penny Hardaway, Horace Grant, Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson.
This is the third jersey retirement for O'Neal in his illustrious career. The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers also retired his number.