Jordan Brand Classic: Shaquille O’Neal’s Daughter Me’Arah Follows 24YO Brother’s Footsteps Towards Yet Another Milestone

Me’Arah O’Neal is breezing through her to-do list before she’s in that Gators uniform. State title? Check. McDonald’s All-American? Check. Jordan Classic? Check. Outdoing her brother? Double check. Meezy has looked up to her brother, Shareef, despite a whole 7’1″ Shaquille O’Neal in the family. She’s wanted to match Shareef’s accomplishments and more on the college track and beyond. That’s coming true after she’s wrapped the McDonald’s All-American game and heading to the Jordan Brand Classic.

The youngest of Shaq’s kids was announced to the Jordan Classic in February. The rosters have been announced ahead of the April 21 game and Me’Arah is on Team Air along with Izela Arenas, Gilbert Arenas’ daughter.

This has been Meezy’s goal for a while. Since 7th grade, to be precise. That was when she saw her brother, Shareef, play in the Jordan Brand Classic. Shareef played in the youth tournament in 2018 alongside Shaq’s favorite new big man, Bol Bol. He was also nominated for the McDonald’s All-American game that year. Young Me’Arah’s thoughts about Shareef back then were, “Dang, that’s pretty dope. I definitely want to do that.”

And she did. Shareef didn’t make the final roster of the McDonald’s All-American. Me’Arah is the only other O’Neal since Shaq himself in 1989 to make the team. Before she heads to New York where the Jordan Classic will be held at the Barclays Center, she played in McDonald’s All-American in Houston in early April. Shareef was present at her practices and was hilariously left snubbed.

While most of the family was present, Shaq had TNT duties in Atlanta. But the crew shared glimpses from the game making the big softie emotional on live TV. Me’Arah ended the game with 12 points and six rebounds. Her West squad however lost 74-98 to the East. The results are irrelevant because she’s making her family proud while defining her own identity.

Shareef O’Neal is Meezy’s goal

Ahead of her McDonald’s All-American debut, Meezy was the subject of the SportsCenter documentary, Out of the Shadow. She and her siblings were ingrained with the policy of being themselves out of the magnanimous shadow of Shaquille O’Neal. Meezy is doing that and more ever since her dad said in his Hall of Fame speech that she’ll be the greatest female basketball player.

In February, the Episcopal High senior led the Knights to the Class 4A title the week she found out she was selected for the McDonald’s All-American. She has led her high school team to a 29-5 record and an SPC Championship. She was also named UTMB Health Athlete of the Week. Me’Arah credits her wins and hype to Shareef who she patterns her game after. Because’s Shaq’s lower-post dominating style is not her type of game, while Shareef has a better shooting range than Shaq was infamous for.

Next for the O’Neals is watching her play in New York. If she wins, that’s one more thing she’s beat Shareef in.

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