“Pull thru brudda”: Shaq’s daughter Me’arah O’Neal extends support as Laura Govan asks for prayers for son Alijah Arenas
Florida guard Me'arah O'Neal has extended her support to USC commit Alijah Arenas, who was placed in an induced coma after a serious car crash in the San Fernando Valley on Thursday.
The daughter of NBA great Shaquille O'Neal joined others in wishing the five-star guard a speedy recovery.
"pull thru brudda," she wrote on her Instagram stories.
Earlier, Alijah's mom Laura Govan asked the public to pray for her son.
Aside from O'Neal, LeBron James' son, Bryce James, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese and former NBA players Evan Turner and Nolan Smith also offered prayers for the son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas.
The McDonald's All-American is in stable condition and initial tests showed he didn't suffer broken bones.
Me'arah O'Neal, Florida Gators seek to improve 2024-25 season performance
Me'arah O'Neal, who was named in the McDonald's All-American team in 2024, played 35 games for Florida. She averaged 4.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last season.
The 6-foot-3 guard recently announced her return to the Gators for her sophomore year.
The Florida Gators will look to improve from last season, where they had a 19-18 record, including 5-11 in the SEC regular season. The Gators didn't make the NCAA Tournament but competed in the WBIT.
Florida defeated Northern Iowa (83-71), UNLV (86-84) and Texas Tech (67-63) in the first three rounds before losing to Minnesota (52-66) in the semifinals. The Gators are set to lose at least eight players from the 2024-25 team, with two of them venturing into the transfer portal — Ra Shaya Kyle and Kylee Kitts.
Fifth-year coach Kelly Rae Finley had only one commitment from the transfer portal after Jade Weathersby signed with Florida. The 6-foot-2 Weathersby broke out in her second season with the UAB Blazers, averaging 11.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.0 blocks per game.
Weathersby posted eight double-doubles last season. She had a season-high 27 points against Charlotte on Feb. 8 and 19 rebounds against Wichita State on Jan. 25.
Aside from Weathersby, the Gators added freshman point guard Emilija Dakic to the 2025-26 roster. She was the first signee in the 2025 recruiting class.
The Gators' 2025-26 roster is made up of O'Neal, Dakic, Weathersby, Alexia Dizeko, Daviane Mindoudi Ongbakahoumb, Laila Reynolds, Liv McGill, Sarah Deng, Knisha Godfrey, Caterina Piatti and Nyadieng Yiech.