Shaquille O’Neal’s son did something incredible while his dad wasn’t looking, showcasing why the NBA legend calls him his ‘mini-me.’ Shaqir is in Sacramento, preparing for the 2025-26 NCAA campaign, and he stood out in the pre-season exhibition. Too bad no other O’Neals were around to witness it…

The Sacramento State Hornets are soon going to have a celebrity-backed exhibition matchup with the University of New Orleans. Before the All-Star level spectacle, though, it was only appropriate to have a skills fest! They kicked off the pre-season with the annual Hornet Madness, which includes everything from a 3-point contest to a slam dunk competition. And Shaqir knows his dad loves a good dunk contest.

Unlike his dad’s in-game high-flying skills, though, Shaqir proved he’s a bit of a showman. He had no props or staging. He just slammed the ball into the rim on all four attempts. He did a couple of shots backwards and one by jumping over a teammate. In one of them, he had an extended hangtime in the air that made the audience, albeit a tiny crowd, jump to their feet. Unsurprisingly, Dunkman Jr. was crowned the champion of the Slam Dunk contest.

Yes, one might think it’s just an exhibition, but it’s a big deal for Shaqir to set the tone after transferring to his third college. He’s not only got his dad as GM and Mike Bibby as coach here, he’s on the same team as Mikey Williams. It’s actually unexpected that someone else at Sac State, not named Mikey, won the dunk contest! He garnered fame for dunking since he was only 12. He stunned with his aerial moves at UCF before transferring to Sac State in 2025.

Shaqir, too, has arrived from FAMU this season. The consensus online is that the Hornets look scary with two aerial guys on the roster. But it doesn’t appear that Mikey was at the contest. However, the list of notable absentees didn’t end there.

Why did Shaquille O’Neal miss seeing Shaqir’s dunk? What has Big Diesel been up to?

Last week, Shaquille O’Neal was in New York with his other son, Shareef, when he formally declared he can no longer dunk without the risk of injury. Hence, all the Dunkman duties now fall on Shaqir. Too bad the OG was not around to witness it in person.

Big Diesel flew to Macao for the NBA China games. He reunited with his Miami teammate, Dwyane Wade, met his former nemesis, Yao Ming, and caught up with his ex-TNT colleague and dunk extraordinaire, Vince Carter. (If Shaq saw the clips of Shaqir dunking, we’re hoping he flexed it to Vince…) Unlike the time Shaq made himself a voluntary prop for Mac McClung’s All-Star Slam Dunk three-peat, he wasn’t around for his son this time.

Shareef revealed he’s in New Jersey, and Taahirah is occupied with her role on The Shaquille O’Neal Foundation’s board. Shaunie also appears busy between her duties as first lady of the Houston Lighthouse Church and her shows, having made an early trip to Sacramento.

After New York, Shaquille O’Neal flew to Arizona to watch Bryce James’ preseason at the Red and Blue Showcase. “Nice to see my nephew, Bryce, out here, Papa James, his lovely wife. We’ll do a little afterparty and then go back to where real basketball is played at LSU,” the big man said with a huge smirk. He also performed in Alabama and Vegas before heading to Macao.

But next week, the Sacramento State Hornets GM will be reunited with his team in NOLA. The UNO Privateers, led by ‘Master P,’ are hosting Shaq and Co. on October 18 at the Lakefront Arena. Fingers crossed, Shaqir has a dunk or two in him.