Shaquille O’Neal‘s 17-year-old daughter is stepping into the next big chapter of her basketball career. Me’arah O’Neal was recently nominated for the McDonald’s All-American 2024. She posted the nomination announcement on her Instagram story, expressing gratitude and joy over this major feat.

Her father, an all-time great, was also part of a McDonald’s All-American Game back in 1989 where he was also declared the co-MVP.

Shaquille O’Neal’s daughter is one step closer to her dream

Me’arah is really excited for her nomination and she shared several posts about it on her Instagram. She wrote, “One step closer 2 dream could be reality”. Me’arah signed her national letter of intent in November last year to play women’s basketball for the Florida Gators. Shaq’s ex-teammate Robert Horry also has something to celebrate in this nomination as his son made it into the list as well. Horry shared the announcement on his Instagram story with the caption “Proud of you son.”

Talking about her decision to sign with the Gators, she said, “I’m pretty sure a lot of people expect me to play like my dad. But I’m not that. Fulfilling that name, that’s not really my goal. I just wanna be my own person and make a name for myself. And I think I’m doing that pretty well.” Regardless of which team she plays for, Shaq’s “Vampire Bloodline” is expanding in the world of basketball as Me’arah becomes the third child, out of Shaq’s six to take up basketball as a career option. Prior to her, Shaq’s sons Shareef and Shaqir O’Neal have already embarked on their basketball journeys.

Shaq has always been clear on his stance of not making his kids’ decisions on their behalf. With his influence, a lot of different organizations would want Me’arah to be a part of their setup. But for the Big Man, the most important thing is to let his kids make all the major decisions in their lives. When asked about Me’arah’s future last year, he said, “Of course, I’d love her to play for my alma mater. But I want her to go somewhere where she’s gonna be loved, appreciated, and somewhere where they’re gonna be able to showcase her talent.”

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“So if that’s LSU, that’d be good, but I never wanted to be that dad”, he added, stressing that he would never force his children into anything. The recent nomination will further motivate her to do better things while remaining true to the love of basketball.

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