“I Was Stressed”: Shaquille O’Neal’s Youngest Daughter Gives Mom a Scare at Championship Game

As a promising young talent, Shaquille O’Neal‘s youngest daughter is determined to etch her name in women’s basketball. Before she begins her college basketball journey with the Florida Gators, she aspires to add the SPC Championship to her impressive resume. Having earned a coveted spot in the McDonald’s All-American Game, Me’Arah O’Neal is showcasing a dominant playing style reminiscent of her father, Big Diesel.

Witnessing her daughter compete on such a grand stage has filled her mother, Shaunie Henderson, with both pride and nervous anticipation. Taking to her Instagram, the mother of four uploaded a picture of her posing alongside her husband, Pastor Keion Henderson, and her and Shaq’s daughter, Me’Arah O’Neal. The post was captioned, “This is a really BIG DEAL that happened today!!! THE CHAMPS are here!!! #EHS I could not be more proud of my babygirl. Even though I was stressed and was sweating like I was playing.” Here is the post for you to see.

Before heading off to the Gators, Me’Arah O’Neal successfully clinched the Southwest Preparatory Conference 4A State Championship with Episcopal High School, defeating the Kinkaid School 66-54 for the title. The anticipation surrounding the 6-foot-4 player’s talent and college choice has been palpable for quite some time, creating a buzz long before she was even eligible.

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Me’Arah O’Neal ditched LSU to join Florida Gators

LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey and star player Angel Reese actively worked to draw the wave of Me’Arah O’Neal towards  their team. The 17-year-old had numerous college offers from Arizona State, UCLA, Florida, Baylor and more. However, finally ending the chatter, she announced to join the Florida Gators. After a visit to Gainesville, Florida, the young O’Neal made her decision to play under the guidance of coach Kelly Rae Finley.

“I went on the Florida visit, and I had a feeling that’s where I belonged. And that I was going to be most successful if I went to go play at Florida,” Me’Arah shared. “I felt like I connected with Coach Kelly more than I connected with any of the other schools that recruited me.” 

Shaunie Henderson has always mentioned how her youngest had an innate passion and talent for playing basketball. Furthermore, once she revealed how the 17-year-old learned to play basketball by watching her siblings. Her brother Shareef and sister Amirah have previously donned the jersey for LSU, their 4x NBA champion father’s alma mater.

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Ranked an impressive No. 33 in the ESPN Top 100 for the 2024 class, 17-year-old Me’Arah is all set to create new records for the Gators following her SPC State Championship win.