Shaquille O’Neal’s daughter, Me’arah, sends condolences to Saniya Rivers following tragic news
Shaquille O'Neal's daughter has nothing but support for Saniya Rivers in a time of her loss. Days after the WNBA draft, Rivers' mother, Demetria Rivers, died.
The first news of her passing came from her husband, Donnell Rivers, who revealed that the 47-year-old went through congestive heart failure.
"Saniya got here about 10:35 this morning and was able to see her for about ten minutes before she passed," he said. "I took her to the hospital Monday because fluid was building up. They kept her and moved her to ICU yesterday."
The former NC State player updated the fans on her loss in an Instagram story on Wednesday. She posted an image of her sitting with her mom during the WNBA draft earlier this month.
Fans and athletes across the Division I and Big League space united to console Rivers. Shaquille O'Neal's daughter, Me'arah, also joined in:
"rip ma dukes gng," she commented on the story.
Saniya Rivers was picked eighth in the WNBA draft by the Connecticut Sun. Minutes after her name was called, she credited her mother for her skills and basketball acumen.
"My mom played, dad, sister, brother, everybody - so it’s in the blood," she said. "I got my first mini hoop when I was like two or three. It didn’t take long and I got on their nerves shooting the ball at whatever times of the day."
Rivers' mother didn't go pro but played a huge role in the success she has found in her basketball journey
Saniya Rivers once contemplated stepping away from basketball
Saniya Rivers once contemplated ending her basketball journey in college and did not consider turning pro. She revealed while explaining one of her tattoos last year.
"Sometimes you just have to go through some things," she said. "You’re going to go through adversity. You got to go through the hard days. But when you get out of that and when you get to the end of the tunnel, you’ll see that it was for something. … So, no rain, no flowers."
"I think for me, when basketball started to get a little hard and life started to get a little hard with college - I kind of leaned away from it and just said, ‘OK, I’m just going to be a collegiate athlete. When college is over, I’m going to wrap it up."
Saniya Rivers was aligned to suit up for her pre-season debut against Seattle Storm. However, her participation now remains uncertain.