How Many Children Does Shaquille O’Neal Have? What Are They Doing Now?

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie Henderson were married for around nine years before their divorce in 2011. During their time together, the former couple had multiple children. Here’s a look at the kids of the four-time NBA champion.

Who are Shaquille O’Neal’s children?

Shaquille O’Neal has six children, Taahirah, Myles, Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah O’Neal. The Los Angeles Lakers legend welcomed his kids Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah during his marriage with his ex-wife Shaunie.

While Myles is Shaunie’s son from a past relationship, Taahirah is Shaq’s daughter from a past relationship with Arnetta Yardbourgh. The 2000 NBA MVP took in Myles as his own and reportedly legally adopted him. Myles now goes by the last name of O’Neal.

Does Shaquille O’Neal have any child with his ex-girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh?

Taahirah O’Neal, 26, is the oldest child of the NBA legend. The 15-time NBA MVP welcomed his first child with ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh in July 1996. Shaq started dating Yardbourgh when he first entered the NBA in 1992. However, things did not work out between the two and the couple broke up in 1996. Shaq revealed that he wants Taahirah to take over his company during her graduation in 2019.

How is the relationship of Shaquille O’Neal with his children?

Shaquille O’Neal has always been open about his love for his children. Shaq was raised by his stepfather, Phillip A. Harrison, who was a strict disciplinarian. Shaq has multiple times admitted that the sergeant used to punish him physically whenever he did something wrong. The Hall of Famer even credited his father’s harsh ways for his success. However, Shaq does not use his father’s ways with his children, even though he is still a very strict parent. O’Neal once revealed that all he had to do was act angry for his children to realize their mistakes.

The four-time NBA champion once even revealed that his daughters got preferential treatment. According to a report from Yahoo, he said, “I try to teach my sons that when you’re with a woman, you have to protect, provide and love. My daughters are like my little women, so I have to protect, provide and love. So if they wanna stay at home few more years until they figure out, that’s my job as a father until they get ready to go into the world or until I pass ’em off to a husband.”

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The 15-time NBA All-Star also made sure his kids understood their privilege so that they realize what they have to do to continue living an affluent life. He is also a firm believer in good education and motivates his children to do well in school. He also encourages his kids to learn from their mistakes.

Everything to know about Shaquille O’Neal’s Children’s professional life

The former Los Angeles Lakers star once revealed that he does not have a problem with “partial nepotism“. The Big Diesel has an estimated net worth of around $600 million and has built a business empire thanks to his success on and off the court. He stated that he does not believe his children should inherit top positions in his businesses just because they are his kids. He wants them to be qualified enough to handle such positions. The same is applied to his children who followed in his footsteps. Shaq pushes his kids to be better basketball players every day.

All his children with ex-wife Shaunie, Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah O’Neal, have pursued basketball. After playing college basketball for UCLA and LSU, Shareef O’Neal, 21, declared for the 2022 NBA draft despite his father’s advice not to. He went undrafted but was picked up for the Los Angeles Lakers Summer League squad. After a few decent outings in the Summer League, the Las Vegas Ignite from G-League signed Shareef.

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While Amirah O’Neal, 21, is playing college basketball for her father’s alma mater LSU, Shaqir O’Neal, 19, is playing for Texas Southern. The youngest, Me’arah O’Neal, 16, plays high school basketball and has already received multiple college offers including from LSU.

While most of his children pursued basketball, Taahirah and Myles did not. Taahirah graduated from Oglethorpe University in Sociology with a minor in politics and African-American studies. She is currently working for Pepsico as a community outreach specialist. As for Myles, 25, he has become a prominent model and has endorsed many major brands. The millionaire is also a reality TV star with appearances on Basketball Wives, Shaq Life, Shaunie’s Home Court, etc.