When NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal brought his son back to Atlanta to train the Texas Southern guard for the pros
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal is seen training his son Shaqir to follow in his footsteps in the second episode of season four of the popular series "Life of Shaq." With famous rapper Snoop Dogg narrating, he asks Shaqir to remind viewers what he said to his father during season three.
In a flashback clip, Shaqir tells his dad that he wants to become the No. 1 player in the country. So, he asks to shift to Atlanta with Shaq so he can get better training from his father.
To this, the four-time NBA champion said:
"You listen to me, I’ll take you where you want to go. Because I know what the hell I’m talking about. ... We have a gym in the house. I’m going to teach him how to focus a little better. I also want to teach him how to be a leader."
Timestamp: 1:09
Shaqir redshirted his freshman year after enrolling at Texas Southern in 2021. He made his college basketball debut on Nov. 7, 2022, playing seven minutes in Texas Southern's road loss to the University of San Francisco.
While Shaq dominated in his NCAA days at LSU, Shaqir has struggled to make his mark at the Houston-based school in the lowly Southwestern Athletic Conference. In his debut season for the Tigers, he averaged only 1.3 points per game in 21 games. Now a sophomore, Shaqir plays just 12.0 minutes per game, slightly improving to 2.3 ppg for TSU (6-12, 4-3 SWAC).
Shaquille O'Neal's youngest son Shaqir's NIL-worth has sky-rocketed
Shaqir O'Neal has an On3 NIL valuation of $812,000, ranking him No. 7 among college basketball players. During an interview with Forbes, he discussed the mindset he brings to NIL deals in the modern era.
"Both my mom and my dad are innovators and entrepreneurs, Shaqir said. "They’ve stressed the importance of making the right business decisions at the right time. We’re in a new era of sports where college athletes can get paid endorsements earlier, so I need to think of how to have the right business mindset at an earlier age now."
Last year, he collaborated with his brother, Shareef, on a BoohooMAN fashion collection that mixed fashion and grunge. Shane Chin, the lead designer, explained the motivation behind the look.
"This year, the team wanted to focus on the U.S. market and what was trending over there for us, but we also wanted to make sure it still aligned with the brothers’ personal aesthetic,” Chin said.
His most recent deal is a collaboration with AZVA Studios modeling their Rest Stop Hoodie. He continues to build his brand through strategic NIL deals.