“Can Be in the Worst Position and the Only Words You’ll Hear”: Allegedly Father of 17 Kids, Shaquille O’Neal Gets Cryptic on Instagram

Shaquille O’Neal is nothing if not proud of his kids. While he’s collected many feathers in his cap post-retirement, his kids are also doing their own thing. None of the O’Neal kids are riding on Big Diesel‘s coattails. Still, there are no off days for parents. Shaq recently shared a heartfelt post on Instagram that touched the hearts of many and left a few scratching their heads. His 31.6 million followers are trying to find the context behind his recent post about dads.

The NBA legend is a dad of six kids who are pretty famous currently. But his relationship and family life have been the subject of many rumors. One bizarre rumor even claims Shaq has fathered 17 kids. A piece of gossip that that four-time champ has addressed before.

Shaquille O’Neal gives a shoutout to dads everywhere

The NBA community and parents everywhere united to send support to LeBron James and his family in the wake of Bronny James’ sudden cardiac episode. Shaquille O’Neal’s kids, who have a close friendship with Bronny, also voiced support for the 19-year-old. This incident hit close to home for Shaq as his son, Shareef, also recovered from a heart condition.

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Shaq shared some wisdom on his Instagram stories. It was touching, too.

“A dad can be in the worst position and the only words you’ll hear from him are [sic] ‘I’ll take care of it’ and I promise you he will find a way. He might get a little grumpy but he will take care of it. To all the men out there, your hard work does not go unnoticed. Keep striving,” the post from @dadtalktoday read.

The original post received a lot of agreeing responses. Since Shaq shared it, more people have been commenting about the underrated heroes dads are. The multi-hyphenate and his ex-wife, Shaunie O’Neal are parents to Shareef, Shaqir, Amirah, and Me’arah. He’s also a bonus dad to Myles O’Neal, Shaunie’s son from a previous relationship.

The Los Angeles Lakers legend also has a daughter, Taahirah, with his ex-girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh.

While Shaq loves to spoil his kids, he’s publicly stated he won’t be helping push their careers. Recently, Shareef spoke about stepping out of his father’s shadow and being known by his own name. But so far, all the O’Neal kids show signs of great things.

The kids are going to be alright.

Charles Barkley joked on Inside the NBA that his co-host is a dad of 17. Much later, Shaq would respond to that claim on his Big Podcast with a cheeky, “You never know.”

Well, Shaq’s known kids are still doing amazing. The eldest, Taahirah, graduated from Oglethorpe University in 2019. She worked at PepsiCo and also lent her communications expertise to her dad’s entertainment company.

Myles O’Neal is channeling DJ Diesel in his career. The musician and all-round entertainer is set to drop his latest song, ‘Naked,’ in August. Shareef is currently playing in the NBA G-League. He was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition in college for which he got surgery and bounced back quickly.

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Amirah plays basketball with the LSU Tigers, the same team Shareef played for. Shaqir plays for the Texas Southern Tigers. Me’arah O’Neal plays basketball in high school.

These kids have some amazing supportive parents even if they’re not together. And they definitely don’t need a famous dad to get them further professionally. But obviously, Shaq’s always going to take care of them.