HOUSTON – Shaquille O’Neal’s children are bringing their hoop dreams to Houston.
The Basketball Hall of Famer’s 19-year-old daughter Amirah O’Neal committed to play basketball at Texas Southern University, according to a post on Instagram. Previously, she was a walk-on at her father’s alma mater Louisiana State University.
“I see the doubt in their faces, they didn’t think I would make it,” she wrote on Instagram.
Amirah is a 6-foot-1-inch forward that averaged 17.2 points per game as a junior during the 2018-2019 season, per LSU’s website. She also earned honors at the 2019 MaxPreps California All-State Girls Team honorable mention and a two-time All-state honoree.
The Los Angeles native, who said she has been playing basketball since she was 10, is joining a team that was a strong contender for the SWAC championship before COVID-19 hit.
Under the direction of Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, Texas Southern finished 20-10 in the 2019-20 season. The team was headed to the SWAC Championship as the No. 2 seed, but the tournament was nixed due to COVID-19.
The following season, TSU’s women’s basketball team dropped to 5-10 as the pandemic battled on.
Amirah is joining a new generation of athletes amplifying HBCUs. She is the second in her family to commit to Texas Southern.
Earlier this year, her younger brother, Shaqir announce that he is joining TSU’s men’s basketball program. He is set to play under head coach Johnny Jones, who was an assistant coach when Shaq played at LSU.
Shaq’s son Shareef currently plays for LSU. While their younger sister, Me’Arah is also getting Divison I offers.
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