Does Shaquille O’Neal Have Kids and Other FAQs About the Lakers Legend’s Children

Shaquille O’Neal leads a vibrant life, but at his core, he’s a family man. The four-time NBA champion has six kids. He welcomed his first child, daughter Taahirah, with his ex-girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh, in 1996. The big man has four children with his ex-wife Shaunie: sons Shareef and Shaqir and daughters Amirah and Me’Arah.

Shaq also adopted Myles, Shaunie’s son from a previous relationship. Here are more details about Shaquille O’Neal’s six children.

How old are Shaq’s Kids?

Shaquille O’Neal’s oldest child, daughter Taahirah, was born on July 19th, 1996, and is 27 years old. Son Myles, whom he adopted, was born on May 8th, 1997, and is 26. His eldest child with ex-wife Shaunie, son Shareef, was born on January 11th, 2000, and is 23.

Daughter Amirah was the couple’s second child together. She was born on November 13th, 2001, and is 22. O’Neal’s third son, Shaqir, was born on April 19th, 2003, and is 20 years old. Shaq and Shaunie’s youngest offspring, daughter Me’Arah, was born on May 1st, 2006. She’s a high school senior and will turn 18 this year.

How Many Biological Kids does Shaq have?

Shaquille O’Neal has five biological kids. He has one biological child with his ex-girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh, and four with his ex-wife Shaunie. He adopted his ex-wife’s son Myles from her previous relationship.

How Much Money Does Shaq Give His Kids?

Shaquille O’Neal has an ingenious way to hand his kids money. In an interview with Business Insider, he explained that he makes his kids explain the expenses before handing out the money. He said,

“I’m not just gonna give you money for a party. Since you want me to be the bank, I’m gonna do exactly what the bank is going to do to you.”

O’Neal makes his kid come up with business plans and expense reports. He claims the habit is ‘respectable nepotism’ and helps his kids understand the value of his hard-earned money.

Is Shaq’s Son a Millionaire?

Two of Shaquille O’Neal’s three sons have amassed a net worth of over $1 million. His oldest son, Myles, did not have his stepfather’s genes, so he did not pursue a basketball career. Instead, he became a runway model and has walked the ramp for iconic brands like Ports 1961, Givenchy, Turkey, Balmain, No21, Fendi, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, and Giles Deacon.

Like his stepfather, Myles is also a DJ. In the Business Insider interview, O’Neal revealed that his eldest son had asked him for money to become a DJ. He revealed,

“I said, ‘Alright, I’ll help you get the equipment,’ And he’s killing it.” 

The father-son duo often performs together.

O’Neal’s eldest biological son, Shareef, also boasts a net worth of over $1 million. The 24-year-old played college basketball for two years at UCLA and another two years at LSU. He went undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft but managed to land a spot with the G-League Ignite.

He signed a six-figure deal with the Ignite in 2022 and had previously landed a long-term NIL deal with Crypto startup NFT Genius in 2021, which pushed his net worth to over $1 million.

Did Shaq buy his son a car?

On Shareef’s 16th birthday, Shaquille O’Neal gifted him a Lamborghini Gallardo and a Jeep Wrangler. While he gifted him two cars, he could only have the keys to one, and it was based on his academic performance in school. On an episode of the Big Podcast with Shaq, O’Neal explained,

“You get all A’s, Lambo’s yours … you can have it whenever you want it. It’s at my house in my garage. I bought them for him but I didn’t give it to him that day. But they’re his. You get all A’s, son, the Lambo’s yours whenever you want. He has a low B average. I told him to get that low B average and if you do certain things in basketball, when you get your license you can get the Jeep.” 

O’Neal added that the cars are incentives that he used to push Shareef to do well in school. The plan worked as he managed to get recruited by UCLA before transferring to LSU. He’s still waiting on a call-up from an NBA team and continues to work towards that goal.