Basketball player and NBA legend turned sports analyst Shaquille O’Neal has one more title to add to his resume: proud father of six children.
Shaq has five with his ex-wife, Shaunie O’Neal: two daughters, Amirah and Me’arah, two sons, Shareef and Shaqir, and a stepson, Myles. He also has one daughter from his ex-girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh, named Taahirah. He’s on good terms with both of his exes and is actively co-parenting his children with them.
Shaq, as a Dad
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According to the athlete, as a dad, he loves to spoil with gifts, calling himself “Shaq-a-Claus.” These aren’t just any gifts because each child can request from “everythingtheywant.com.” Yes, you read that right. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.
However, that generosity doesn’t mean they will always get what they want without working for it. In an interview with PEOPLE in 2022, O’Neal shared that he would happily help out his kids’ ventures. However, they must show him their resume and business plans with numbers to support their ideas. He said, “I don’t give a s— what you are because if it’s done the right way, I believe in nepotism.”
Shaq is also a role model to his kids. He is very appreciative of the mothers of his children, calling them the “strongest beings on this planet.” He added that women like them must be given more credit and respect because they do all the work. More importantly, he never calls them his “baby mamas,” which felt was a degrading term for someone who did a tremendous job.
Shaw also doesn’t hide the fact that he misses his kids since they aren’t always with him after the separation.
Meet the O’Neals
Let’s get to know all six of Shaquille O’Neal’s kids.
Taahirah O’Neal
Taahirah is Shaquille O’Neal and Arnetta Yardbourgh’s first and only child and the eldest child of Shaq. https://t.co/Rt5DNN9rLI pic.twitter.com/QsNx8796w6
— Bounce Mojo (@BounceMojo) January 20, 2022
Taahirah is the oldest of Shaq’s kids, and she’s his daughter with his ex-girlfriend, Yardbourgh. The two met back in high school, and they started dating in’92, which was also the year he was drafted by Orlando Magic.
In fact, she accompanied him at the NBA draft event. Unfortunately, they broke up in January 1996, a few months before their daughter was born.
She graduated from cum laude Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2019, and of course, her dad proudly attended. The special event was later shown in TNT’s Shaq Life.
According to her now-deleted LinkedIn page, she worked as PepsiCo’s communications analyst after graduating. She also worked part-time as a social media assistant at Mine O Mine, her dad’s entertainment company.
In 2022, she joined her dad at the premiere of his HBO documentary series. It was her first red carpet, and she was so happy to share it with him, whom she lovingly called her bestie.
Myles O’Neal
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Shaq’s eldest son is actually his ex-wife, film marketer Shaunie’s son from her previous relationship. Shaq and Shaunie met in 1996 after he left Orlando Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers. Shaunie welcomed Myles a year later.
Myles was raised in the public eye, gracing TV screens. His first was his mom’s reality TV series, Basketball Wives when he was around 13.
Three years later, he did another one called Shaunie’s Home Court. Then, at 21, he made his fashion show debut as he walked down Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring 2018 runway during Milan Fashion Week.
He’s very interested in the entertainment industry and picked up DJing just like his dad. Of course, this was no coincidence since it was Shaq, aka DJ Diesel, who gifted Myles his first DJ set.
He would let him play with it and do everything on his own. Whenever he had things to ask, the athlete would tell him to figure it out, and he did so every single time.
Eventually, he learned the art to the point that he and his dad started practicing together, which was definitely one of their bonding times. They also traded songs, and the young O’Neal even helped put together live sets for him. The former NBA star said he has seen his son perform many times and is actually jealous of how good he has gotten.
Myles joined YouTube last April 2023, and a few months later, he dropped his song “Naked” with singer-songwriter Stanaj. His dad even made an appearance on it! Check out the 1:15 mark on the video. He also started touring in July.
Shareef O’Neal
On January 11, 2000, after two years of dating, the couple finally welcomed their firstborn, Shareef Rashaun.
Shareef followed his dad’s footsteps, got into basketball, and is now a rising star in the sport. In July 2022, after playing at the NBA Summer League with the LA Lakers, he signed a six-figure contract with the Nevada-based NBA G League Ignite. It’s a developmental team, the first of its kind, dedicated to developing and preparing top young prospects like him for the NBA draft.
However, he once almost lost the chance to step on the court and play basketball.
At 18, just a few weeks before his freshman season at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Shareef discovered that he had a congenital heart defect and would have to undergo open-heart surgery. At the time, he was the number-one-ranked player in the state.
In an interview, he shared that he honestly thought he wouldn’t be able to play basketball ever again.
Fortunately, the surgery was successful, and he got the chance to play for UCLA and Louisiana State University. Then, he cut his college years short and went on to pursue his pro career.
He didn’t think he had the best college career but wanted to try and go pro. His mindset had always been never to let anybody tell him he couldn’t do something, which he definitely got from his dad.
He is on Instagram, and he actively posts updates about his journey.
Amirah O’Neal
Then, almost two years later, on November 13, 2001, Shaunie gave birth to their second child and first baby girl, Amirah Sanaa. After her arrival, Shaq missed practice with the Lakers, so head coach Phil Jackson fined him. According to Jackson, there was no strife between them, and there had been communication.
Just like her older brother, Amirah also inherited their dad’s athletic genes and got into basketball. She played the sport at the same high school her brother did, Crossroads High School in Santa Monica, for three years.
She also played on the AAU club basketball team called “The Los Angeles Finest.” She then switched to homeschooling in her senior year due to the pandemic.
After graduating, she enrolled as a college athlete at LSU, where her dad played college basketball. Then, she transferred to Texas Southern University. According to her Instagram, she is an entrepreneur and a Fashion Nova ambassador.
Shaqir O’Neal
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Shaqir Rashaun arrived on April 19, 2003, in the middle of the NBA playoffs. As the story goes, doctors attempted to induce Shaunie earlier in the week so that the Lakers center would be able to play against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unfortunately, it was unsuccessful, so Shaq missed a practice and his team flight. He took a private so that he could make it on time.
Shaqir joins his dad, older brother Shareef, and older sister Amirah on the court. He started his basketball career at Crossroads High School. Then, he transferred to Union Grove High School in Georgia in his senior year. He redshirted for a year, from 2021 to ’22, and then made his collegiate debut. He currently plays forward at Texas Southern University.
He’s got quite the following on Instagram, and he likes sharing his adventures with his fans.
Me’arah O’Neal
The youngest of the O’Neals is Me’arah, and she is also a basketball player. She’s in her senior year at Episcopal High School and has received multiple offers from different universities, including her dad’s alma mater, LSU, UCLA, TCU, Virginia University, and Howard University.
You can check out her Instagram to stay on top of her life updates.
There you go. That’s everything we have for now on Shaquille O’Neal’s six children!