Is Shaquille O’Neal’s youngest son ready to hold his legendary father’s baton? Shaqir O’Neal is entering the NCAA Transfer Portal after only one season on the Florida A&M men’s basketball team. With this huge decision, the 21-year-old forward is changing the trajectory of his basketball career. However, given the stats he has been maintaining since the past season, it doesn’t come off as too surprising. Overall, he is an excellent scorer who can score in bunches when he supposedly is “in the zone.” But how does that translate?

The FAMU forward has been laying the groundwork for a while now. He not only showed tremendous improvement as a shooter with the Rattlers but also as a defensive rebounder. During the first and only season with the Rattlers, O’Neal recorded an average of 6.7 points per game to go along with 3.4 rebounds for 18 minutes per game. While shooting 50.3% from the floor overall, he knocked down 37.5% of his 3-point attempts.

Looking back, this is not the first time the young forward is transferring in his college basketball career. He had switched to Florida A&M after a two-year stint at Texas Southern. O’Neal appeared in 41 games during his time with the Tigers, starting in two games. Recently, his sister, Me’arah O’Neal, took to social media to share the news. She reshared a post from the official handle of the transfer portal on her Instagram story. She captioned the story, “gods plan”.

Since Shaqir O’Neal has entered the transfer market again, the options are plenty. He could deliberate and decide to go to the program that suits his needs the best, given he gets the opportunity. Let’s check out his current options.

Where could Shaqir O’Neal transfer? 

The big question is—where would Shaqir O’Neal land? He’s got the size, the name, and flashes of potential, thanks to his legendary father. But finding the right spot is everything. A return to Georgia could be the move. Georgia State and Georgia Southern both have openings in the frontcourt, and since Shaqir is familiar, having played his high school ball in Georgia, heading back home could be a reset he needs. Georgia State, in particular, needs help at forward, while Georgia Southern could use his experience to fill some key gaps. Either way, both schools would give him a real shot at playing time, something he needs desperately.

If he wants to stay in the HBCU scene but level up, Southern University makes a lot of sense. They just won the SWAC regular-season title, and adding Shaqir’s size and athleticism could just be the thing that helps keep them in championship contention. But if he’s thinking bigger? UCLA is an outside-the-box option. His brother, Shareef, started there, and while Shaqir’s stats don’t exactly scream elite, sometimes having a famous last name comes with its own privileges. If UCLA wants depth and a little Shaq nostalgia, you never know, it could happen. 

And then there’s LSU. The ultimate dream landing spot. The Tigers probably aren’t in desperate need of a project player, but come on, it’s LSU. It’s Shaq’s house. If they want to keep the O’Neal legacy alive, taking a flyer on Shaqir wouldn’t be the wildest thing in the world. At the end of the day, his next stop is all about fit, opportunity, and proving that he’s more than just his father’s name.