Shaquille O’Neal is a father to six kids. But the big fella likes to keep people guessing. Whether he’s on TV or in interviews, his straight-faced humor often blurs the line between truth and a joke. Shaq executes the same deadpan humor when he’s asked about his kids, claiming that he might have more kids that people don’t know about.
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Taahirah O’Neal is Shaq’s firstborn. The NBA legend welcomed her into the world with ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh in 1996. Myles, Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’Arah are all his children from his marriage with Shaunie Henderson. Although Myles is Shaunie’s child from another relationship, Shaq has taken him as his own. That’s the end of the list as per public knowledge.
But Shaq has joked about having many more kids countless times. Whether he is joking on the subject or not is only known to him. He did the same thing recently during his appearance on It’s Giving podcast. The big fella was asked if he has any other children that the general public doesn’t know about.
“I have a lot of children,” Shaq replied. When asked to spill details, in classic Shaq fashion, he said, “Figure it out…I have a lot of children I’m responsible for.” Shaq is one of the most popular and wealthiest athletes in the world, so it’s no surprise that he has had a long dating history. It’s possible that he doesn’t give a straight answer to these questions because of his lifestyle.
But it’s better if we simply take him at his word and accept that the NBA legend is a father of six. However, the jokes about Shaq having fathered several other kids have been around for a long time. And no one enjoys bringing up that subject more than his good friend and Inside the NBA co-host Charles Barkley.
Chuck often jokes on the show about the number of kids that Shaq has fathered. Once, Kenny Smith was detailing how Shaq picked up his kid from school without informing him. He said, “His daughter and KJ went to the same school and I came to the school to pick him up and they were like, ‘Oh, he’s gone with Shaq.’”
The setup was too perfect for Barkley to miss. He said, “In fairness, Kenny, he might’ve got him confused with one of his 17 kids.” Chuck often brings up the subject on their show. Surprisingly, it’s one of the few jokes that the big fella always takes in good spirits.
