Shaquille O’Neal has several off-court versions, among which the father of six children is the proudest. The firstborn among the lot is Taahirah O’Neal, whom co-parents with his ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh. However, she went against the flow within the O’Neal family as she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, this year. On her quest to establish a unique identity separated from her father, very recently, she was noticed ignoring ‘Big O’Neal’s’ tradition. 

The event on spotlight is her latest Instagram story, which is a screenshot of a DM with cousin Marcus, where he greets her with the good news of the return of the State Farms Champions Classic to Atlanta. The event, widely read as the signature men’s college basketball event that has its second time at State Farm Arena’s world-class facility, is however received in a way unexpected from the LA Lakers legend’s eldest.  

Taahirah took the conversation lightly with a remark: “Oh cute.” This met with an inquiry on her intentions to attend the game, to which the 28-year-old reverted with: “Cousin, I don’t like sports  or large crowds.” The rest of the conversation shared the hopelessness of Marcus and the stubbornness of O’Neal’s eldest. The caption she gave the story could nudge you further: “Fun fact: she’s not a sports girly.” You might appreciate a better picture. 

Taahirah graduated from Oglethorpe University in 2019, worked as a communications associate analyst for PepsiCo and served as a part-time social media assistant at her dad’s entertainment company. Her primary interest also lies in nature and running a farm in Georgia about which she has been vocal recently, especially through her IG posts. So she is as far away from sports as she could get. 

But this is not to say she doesn’t have her respects for athletes. But just being raised among them — 4 of Shaq’s 6 kids played basketball — and knowing the reality, has her indifferent. So much so, that she wouldn’t look to date one either. 

“No offense to athletes but I was raised by, raised with athletes. It’s a no go for me. It’s a no for me,” she said on the topic of marrying an athlete earlier this year. “I have like the utmost respect for athletes … where I am in my life especially growing up the way that I did, I don’t want that for myself,” clarified as she appeared on a podcast around February 2024 while pointing at the busy schedule that athletes have. 

Thus, she comes down to a laid-back lifestyle with enough time for loved ones, which athletes seldom have as she experienced in life. More or less, the absence of Shaquille O’Neal in her earlier life seems to have played some part. Having said that, a quick insight into her mother’s side will do good. 

Completing the puzzle with Yardbourgh 

Arnetta Yardbourgh the high school love of ‘The Big Shamrock’ has her distance from the limelight even though she was there with O’Neal on his NBA draft in 1992. The relationship which never proceeded to marriage, ended in 1996, just a couple of months before Taahirah’s birth on July 19, 1996. From then on, O’Neal abided by an arrangement where he provided for the child while the mother had her custody until she turned 18. 

The independent wellness coach and entrepreneur that she is Yardbourgh maintained her warmth with her firstborn. Just a look at Taahirah’s IG post offers evidence. Look at her Mother’s Day post: “Happy Mother’s Day to the life of the party @arnettayardbourgh 🤎🤩♐️ I love you Mommy.” The same resonates in another post: “I love you Mommy. 🤎✨@arnettayardbourgh”

Meanwhile, the long separations with O’Neal don’t mean tensions in father-daughter bonding. The Christmas celebrations he has with children while playing the “Shaq-a-Claus” are evidence of their warmth amidst separation. Moreover, his healthy relationship with Yardbourgh has given him unrestricted access to the daughter to make way for a bond. 

Now that there is clarity on the path that led Taahirah O’Neal to defy family interests, looking at her future projects with Big Chicken and Georgia farms is all that is left to eagerly look out for.