“Structured to Kinda Operate Without Him”: Shaquille O’Neal’s 27 Y/O Daughter Got Candid on Father Missing Significant Moments

Being a celebrity has its upsides but with a few cons as well. In most cases, family and personal life take a back seat, especially, for celebrity athletes. But unlike the sacrifices of the athlete, the sacrifices of the family are rarely portrayed in the mainstream media. Driving this point home, this time, it is Shaq’s daughter Taahirah O’Neal.

The 27-year-old daughter of NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal recently shared her experience, of growing up with Shaquille O’Neal as her father. Talking about the same on the ‘Do I Know You? Podcast’, the eldest O’Neal siblings revealed,

“It was really hard, and it’s still hard to navigate because my father, the career he chose, he missed alot of moments….its just the scheduling…just getting used to him…if I am being real..The way our family was structured, we were perfectly structured to operate without him being here. We were so used to him not being there.”

Taahirah explained that the O’Neal siblings for the most part were raised by their moms, nannies, aunties, and uncles. Taahirah seemed to have found a different route in life. Unlike her siblings, Taahirah works as an analyst with Pepsi Co. and has mostly stayed away from the public eye, avoiding any contact with the world of basketball and media.

But during her appearance on the podcast, Taahirah painted a rather cold and realistic image of what it takes to be a celebrity kid. She shared how moving around in public is a hassle when your dad is famous. Even if it’s a high-school prom or college graduation, having famous parents takes the limelight away from you, even if it’s ‘your day’ to shine.

The 27-year-old even recalled how she would often keep her last name out of conversation, as she didn’t want the stigma/ unwanted attention of being Shaq’s daughter. And even Shaq regretted this part.

Shaquille O’Neal regrets many of his decisions

Shaquille O’Neal has lived a very full and entertaining life so far. Having broken backboards and records, O’Neal has achieved what many NBA legends cannot. Known for his larger-than-life persona, and jovial attitude, Shaq very rarely talks about the things that didn’t go quite right for him, one of those being family.

During an episode of ‘The Big Podcast with Shaquille O’Neal’, Shaq revealed that most of his regrets surround family and his marriage to ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal. Talking about the same, Shaq told Jason Kelce,

“I made a lot of dumbass mistakes to where I lost my family and didn’t have anyone. I was an idiot ..…lost my whole family. I’m in a 100,000-square-foot house by myself.”

Even though there isn’t much that Shaq can do now, he emphasizes his mistakes so that others can learn from them. After hanging his kicks, over a decade now, he surely has been more present in his kids’ lives, as ‘The Diesel’ often posts videos and pictures with his family and friends.