Shaquille O’Neal is revered as one of the most ferocious players in the history of the NBA, but the legendary big man is known to have a soft spot for his six children. Apart from addressing the hot button issues related to his career, the Diesel also talked about each of his kids in his 2011 memoir, Shaq Uncut. He especially talked about his middle daughter, Amirah, and how she doesn’t enjoy sharing her father with the world.
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The Hall of Famer shared how Amirah wasn’t a fan of the hordes of people that would often congregate around the giant. The fourth O’Neal child would get defensive when fans would hound her father, often prompting her to remove her father from the situation.
“Then we have Amirah, my second princess. She’s my protector. She gets very on guard when we are out and people start walking up to us,” Shaq wrote. “She doesn’t like big crowds, and she doesn’t like to share me. When she sees a mob of people coming, she says, ‘C’mon, Daddy, let’s go get some ice cream.'”
Amirah is 23 years old now. She was 10 at the time the book was written. So she definitely had her work cut out from a young age to get her old man to safety.
The Big Fella was among the league’s biggest stars during his 19 years in the NBA and considering his monstrous 7-foot-1, 325-pound frame, Shaq stuck out in a crowd whether he wanted to or not. So it’s not surprising that the Lakers legend would attract big crowds in public places.
O’Neal has broadcasted the strong relationship he has with his children in different interviews and testimonies. Amirah may no longer be dragging her superstar dad away from enthusiastic fans, but she remains close to the 52-year-old, even following his footsteps by playing basketball at Texas Southern University.
Amirah has found success in her basketball career
Shaq’s sons, Shareef and Shaqir, may be the more renowned of his children to have their own basketball career, but Amirah has proven she can hoop, too. Before being homeschooled as a high school senior, Amirah put up 17.2 points per game for Crossroads High School.
In college, she first joined her father’s alma mater, Louisiana State University, before transferring to Texas Southern. A 6-foot-2 forward, Amirah certainly got the benefit of her father’s height. However, her basketball career didn’t translate to the pro level.
In her post playing career, Amirah has pursued a career in the fashion industry, working as both a model and influencer. She boasts 125k followers on Instagram, so it appears she is no longer opposed to the spotlight.
