Every day basketball fans witness something new go down be it a new prospect on the rise or an age-old record being broken. Me’Arah O’Neal has got all eyes focused on her at the moment. Being the daughter of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, she’s obviously got massive shoes to fill. Nobody came close to how dominant Shaq was back in the day, especially within the paint. Luckily for Me’Arah, she inherited a few key characteristics of her father’s game.
Let’s rewind for a bit and see how good Shaq was. He was known as a freak of nature, a tagline that immediately sends rivals staggering away. Standing just over seven feet tall, Shaq was incredibly agile as well. He finished his career as one of the top ten leading scorers of all time with four titles, league, and finals MVPs, an All-Star Game MVP, and multiple All-NBA selections. To add to his existing success, O’Neal managed to help Team USA to two gold medals.
What more? The Big Diesel ended up becoming a very successful businessman as well. With a net worth of over $400 million, he owns 50 brands across the United States. Shaq had his jersey retired by the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat. He was also inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the 50th as well as 75th NBA Anniversary teams.
Me’Arah O’Neal drops an incredible 21-point double-double at Chicago’s McCormick Center
Two of Shaq’s sons have already been rising stars in the basketball community over the last few years. His eldest, Shareef played for LSU and eventually signed with the NBA G League Ignite. Shareef’s younger brother, Shaqir is also making a name for himself. Shaqir currently plays for the Texas Southern Tigers. However, Me’Arah O’Neal is thriving as well. She is a young basketball aspirant who is trying her best to take over the scene just like her father.
It was a pleasure having @SHAQ spend time with our girls today! #NikeNationals #EYBL #CyFairElite pic.twitter.com/A5TreYMfe9
— CyFair Elite Sports (@CFEliteSports) July 9, 2023
Recently, she had an incredible game against the Sports City Angels in Chicago at the McCormick Center. Me’Arah scored 21 points along with 12 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. She claims that Shareef was her biggest inspiration over the years and not Shaq. She said, “Definitely my brother Shareef. I’ve spent pretty much half, the majority of my life, watching him. So pretty much his game and a little bit of a tweak of mine.”
Me’Arah O’Neal is currently the No.35 ranked prospect in the United States for the 2024 recruiting class. She has shown massive potential on both sides of the flooring. Among her peers, she topped them all defensively by averaging 2.3 blocks along with 11.1 points as well. O’Neal claims that she has a god-gifted talent to stretch the floor playing all five positions. Soon we may see her compete or try out for the WNBA as well.