Kim Mulkey reacts as Shaquille O'Neal shows up to support daughter Me'arah O'Neal at LSU game: "I would've gone and hugged his neck"
LSU royalty watched Kim Mulkey and the Tigers on Sunday, with basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal attending their game against the Florida Gators. The former Los Angeles Lakers star showed up at Stephen C. O'Connell Center to see his daughter, Me'arah O'Neal, play against his former team.
The four-time NBA champion proved to be a lucky charm for LSU as the Tigers pulled off an 80-63 victory over the Gators to continue their perfect start to the season. Three players scored in double figures for the Tigers, who improved their overall record to 20-0.
Mulkey was surprised when a reporter asked her about O'Neal in the postgame press conference.
"Was he here? Was Shaq here today?" Mulkey asked (4:55). "We love him at LSU. He’s just a great ambassador for our university, gave his daughter a big hug. I wish I’d have known he was here. I would have gone and hugged his neck. I didn’t know he was here."
Shaquille O'Neal played for LSU during his college career and was named the NCAA Men's Basketball Player of the Year in 1991. He left the Tigers early to join the NBA, with the Orlando Magic selecting him first overall in the 1992 draft.
Me'arah O'Neal inherited her father's love of the game. She joined the Florida Gators and has been a part of coach Kelly Rae Finley's rotation this 2024-25 season. O'Neal entered the game against LSU averaging 4.9 points and 4.3 rebounds. She went scoreless against the Tigers, however, missing all four of her field-goal attempts. She did grab seven rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
Mikaylah Williams and Aneesah Morrow deliver for Kim Mulkey in win over Florida
Mikaylah Williams led the fifth-ranked LSU Tigers in their win over the Florida Gators, scoring a game-high 22 points. She shot 8-for-18 from the field, including 3-for-7 from beyond the arc. She came close to recording a double-double, collecting eight rebounds.
One player who had no problem achieving that feat against Florida was Aneesah Morrow. She scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to record her 18th double-double of the season. Morrow continued her exceptional run with scoring and rebounding, posting double-doubles in each of her last 10 games.
Flau'jae Johnson also delivered for Kim Mulkey, scoring 19 points on 8-for-17 shooting. She also had four rebounds, three steals and two assists.