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USA Today via Reuters

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USA Today via Reuters

Shaquille O’Neal’s family has something to celebrate, and all eyes are on his son, Shaqir O’Neal. After a tough start to his college basketball season, the 21-year-old delivered a performance that turned heads. And made his eldest brother, Shareef O’Neal, beam with pride. Shaq’s eldest son could not help but take it to his Instagram handle to celebrate his brother’s major win.

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“Boogie! @shaqironeal,” wrote Shareef, in the caption to his story. And what a game it was! Shaqir scored an impressive 26 points and 9 rebounds, leading his Florida A&M Rattlers to a crushing 110-68 win over the Trinity Baptist Eagles. That’s not just a win for the team, but their first win of the season. Yep, FAMU stands at a 1-4 record this season so far in terms of winning stats.

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The game, however, brought a major milestone for Shaqir himself. Playing his debut college season with Rattlers, the 26-point mark is the highest for the 21-year-old so far. In fact, Shaqir has had quite a rough start to his freshman season prior to this game. So much so that he had not even hit double digits in scoring, let alone crossing the 20-point mark.

No wonder that Shareef shared a snapgrab of his brother’s stats to his IG story. What might catch attention, though, is the nickname “Boogie.” Turns out, it is Shaq’s special nickname for his kids. Shareef let fans in on this little family secret during a recent interview with ClutchPoints.

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“It’s me and my little brother. We kind of have the same nickname, it’s just Reef Boogie and Qir Boogie, so that’s what he calls us. He says boogie whenever he wants to get one of us. He’s been saying that since we were kids. But we kind of just know which one he’s talking to at the same time,” Shareef said. A clear representation of the strong father-son bond. Something that does not allow Shaq to watch his own kids play.

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Shaquille O’Neal misses his kids’ games for their own good

Shaq is a man who knows the weight of his presence, even off the court. Imagine having the towering NBA legend sitting courtside, watching your every move. That’s exactly why he prefers to stay in the background when it comes to his children’s games.

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“I don’t ever want to make them nervous, so I just try to watch from afar,” he shared with PEOPLE. Does that sound familiar? Well, Shaq’s hands-off parenting style is a reflection of how his own parents raised him. He calls it déjà vu parenting.

“My mom and dad never really bothered me. They raised me to be a particular way, and then they said, ‘You’re 18, you’re an adult.'” Now, he’s carrying on that tradition with his kids, and he says, “it’s been working.” Still, even Shaq couldn’t resist breaking his rule to watch his son Shaqir’s opening game with the Rattlers. The results? Not the smoothest start, with the forward managing just 2 points. But with Shaqir’s recent progress, it seems dad can breathe a little easier.

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Written by

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Khelendra Kumar Yadav

1,780 Articles

Khelendra Kumar Yadav is a Senior NBA Writer at EssentiallySports, reporting from the ES Social Media Desk. A former high-school basketball player, he brings a court-level perspective to his analysis, connecting box scores with the fan sentiment driving viral narratives. His expertise lies in using impact metrics to unpack the on-court stories that generate widespread reactions among fans.

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Shivatmika Manvi

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