Height seems to be a sore topic for a few O’Neals. When he was a kid, Shaquille O’Neal admitted he retaliated meanly to all the height jokes. His children, who all inherit his tall genes, have different experiences. While his sons own it, his daughters had to adjust to towering over their peers. But the shortest of the O’Neal kids is similar to her brothers. When Taahirah O’Neal noticed she was being shortsized online, she had to set the record straight that she is in fact, Big Diesel’s daughter.

Taahirah is not an athletic one and hates basketball. She’s not pursuing music either. Shaq’s business savvy and humor shine in her. But very few admit that she’s also got that O’Neal build.

With no athletic background in her student life, Shaq’s eldest daughter’s height is listed as 5’5″ online. It’s odd because Taahirah doesn’t look almost two feet shorter than her brothers.

So Taahirah posted a height-check on her Instagram Stories. She captioned her mirror snap writing, “Y’all kill me with the height debates… I am 6ft EVEN.” With new health goals similar to Shaq’s and in a pretty dress, it’s hard to get a clear estimate of her height without a reference. But we believe her.

Shareef is 6’10” and Shaqir is a 6’8″ forward for the FAMU Rattlers. Amirah is 6’2″ and Me’Arah is the 6’4″ phenom for the rebuilt Gators. Even Shaq’s adopted son, Myles, is 6’3″. And when Taahirah stands next to them, she is slightly dwarfed, but not by so many inches.

Where the 5’5 figure comes from is not clear. At least Taahirah clarified it herself. She seems to own it well. Something her sisters have struggled with.

Shaquille O’Neal and his kids had different ways to cope with their height

Unlike Taahirah and the O’Neal boys, Amirah and Me’Arah struggled to fit in when they were towering over their friends. Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-wife, Shaunie Henderson, wrote in her memoir, Undefeated, that the boys found being tall cool but “Mimi and Me’Arah hated it.”

Amirah’s confidence took a hit when the boys in her class teased her and Shaunie had to step in. When the same was happening to Meezy, Shaunie had to remind her that she was athletically gifted and her height was a huge advantage to her.

Taahirah is Shaq’s daughter from his previous relationship with Arnetta Yardbourgh. She made her disdain for basketball and sports in general well known. It wasn’t for her and she was comfortable with it. It’s not clear if she was taller than her peers in school or if it gave her any trouble but she shows more confidence than Shaq did at a younger age.

O’Neal was already a big kid since his teens. Coupled with his family’s financial constraints, it was tough for them to find him clothes and shoes that fit. He had it hardest when he was already 6’4″ at 10 years old.  “I was big for my size, so I used to get teased. So I had to learn how to become a bully.” His stepdad put a stop to that and Shaq turned to basketball too to become the 7’1″ MDE big man in the NBA.