Shaquille O’Neal’s youngest daughter Me’Arah is a basketball prodigy. The 18-year-old was the third-best prospect from Texas in the 2024 recruitment class and committed to play for the Florida Gators. While she’s following in her father’s footsteps, basketball wasn’t her first love. She was enamored by flag football as a toddler and pulled off athletic feats so incredible, it left her mother Shaunie astonished.
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During an interview with Miguel Molina for ESPN Gainesville, the host told Me’Arah about her mother’s confession about her otherwordly strength and athleticism at age five. He said,
“[Shaunie] recalled a time when you were just five years old and you threw a football 50 yards to your PE teacher and she said, ‘That was the moment that she realized that you were truly special.'”
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Basketball might be her primary focus now, but Me’Arah wasn’t too keen on joining the family business when she was younger. She surprised herself when she successfully dribbled a basketball for the first time as no one had taught her how to do it. Over the years, her love for the sport grew.
However, she was so skilled that she not only refused to play with girls but also boys her age. Molina read a quote for Me’Arah and asked her to guess who it came from. He quoted,
“Me’Arah is the most skilled and talented O’Neal. When she was younger, she never wanted to play with her age group, always wanted to play with me and my friends.”
The 18-year-old correctly guessed it was brother Shareef, who is six years older than her. Me’Arah’s elder brother and mother aren’t her only family members who knew she was destined for greatness like her father.
Shaq called Me’Arah the best basketball player in the family
During an appearance on The Tonight Show in 2020, host Jimmy Fallon asked Shaquille O’Neal whether his daughter Me’Arah, who was 14 at the time, was the best basketball player in the family. The Hall of Famer responded,
“Yes. My youngest daughter Me’Arah is the best one of them.”
Although he has immense confidence in her ability, he refuses to play one-on-one against her. When Fallon asked why, O’Neal said he wouldn’t want to beat her. He claimed that he couldn’t control his competitive urge, and wouldn’t think twice before using his elbow on her.
However, the four-time NBA champion has devised a unique strategy to motivate her to improve. In an interview with ESPN, he said,
“When I told her things that you’re not supposed to say in society, she would get mad. ‘Can’t play the boys, you’re a girl. You can’t play, you’re too little. You’re not that good, you’re brother’s way better than you.’ And I see, some people when they get angry, they lash out. But she always had that, ‘Okay, Imma show you.’ And that’s exactly what I wanted.”
O’Neal’s coaching style helped Me’Arah become one of the most sought-after players in the country. She’ll now spend the next four seasons with the Gators and look to emulate her father in going #1 overall in the draft in 2028.
