Shaq’s daughter Me’Arah O’Neal drops 2-word reaction to hype up in-form brother Shaqir O’Neal
Me'arah O'Neal, the daughter of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, is happy for her brother, Shaqir O’Neal, who has been sensational for Florida A&M since his transfer from Texas Southern this season. She shared a video of Shaqir's fantastic play in a series of games on her Instagram story.
"Yeah boy," she captioned the post.
Me'Arah O'Neal is in her freshman year at Florida and is establishing herself as a key player for the Gators, while her brother, Shaqir, is gradually finding his groove with the Rattlers after a slow start. The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 9.6 points and 3.8 rebounds for the Rattlers (3-7).
Me'Arah O'Neal struggles after brilliant start for Florida
Being a child of a legend like Shaquille O'Neal carries hefty expectations. Me'Arah O'Neal performs under the same pressure while balancing her family name with personal ambitions.
The Florida freshman started the season on a decent note, scoring seven points, five rebounds and two blocks in her debut game for the Gators against Florida Atlantic on Nov 4. She then recorded a career-high 18 points and eight rebounds against Chicago State on Nov. 12. She also had her first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds on Dec. 2.
O'Neal credited her strong performances to her father's advice.
"My dad always tells me that pressure makes diamonds," she told ESPN. "I try to keep that with me, especially in those moments where everyone is watching. I'm just trying to do me and make myself proud."
Meanwhile, Shaq has made it clear that his children were not under excessive pressure to play basketball. But he expressed his confidence in his youngest daughter's abilities.
"I don't like to put pressure on my babies, but she works out with my sons, and I think it's fair to say one day if she continues, Me'arah will probably be the best women's basketball player ever. She's that good," Shaq said.
However, Me'Arah found herself struggling, with her scoring performance far from stellar. The freshman forward has hit double digits once, while there were two games where she did not score at all in the last five outings. Against the Longwood Lancers on Dec. 15, Me'Arah managed just two points in 15 minutes and missed both of her free throws.
All the same, Shaq's daughter can count on him and other members of the family to be there for her.