Shaquille O'Neal's son Shaqir O'Neal lands on Sportcenter for nasty dunk
11/25/2024 12:33 PM
This summer Shaquir O’Neal made a splash when he transferred to Florida A&M from Texas Southern and he is continuing to command attention with the Rattlers. O’Neal was featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 for his monumental dunk in the team’s most recent early season victory.
O’Neal was running toward the rim on a fast break when opposing team defender Micah Johnson got in his way attempting to cut off his path to the basket. O’Neal was undeterred, as he rose above the defender and hammered home a monster jam that he punctuated by staring at the defender before he hustled back down the court.
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SportsCenter highlighted the moment and even drew parallels between Shaquir’s dunk and a dunk Shaquille O’Neal pulled off during his stint with the Orlando Magic early in his career.
"From the Baseline, Florida A&M's Shaqir O'Neal—yes, that name sounds familiar—dunks over Micah Johnson. And, for clarification, that is Shaq's son showing off his skills,” the SportsCenter anchor said.
O’Neal transferred to the Rattlers after a stint at Texas Southern University, known as a perennial contender in HBCU basketball. O’Neal’s time at Texas Southern showcased glimpses of his potential, with head coach Johnny Jones highlighting his progress over the offseason.
"One of the new guys that we're really happy and excited about is Shaqir O'Neal," Jones said at the time. "I think people that hadn't had an opportunity to see his offseason workouts – I think he's done an awesome job in transitioning in the last two years and we're looking forward to him making an impact with us and for us as well.”
However, O’Neal struggled to get playing time, resulting in him entering the transfer portal to join a team were he can be more involved in the team’s success. He landed at Florida A&M, a rebuilding program that hired new head coach and proven winner Patrick Crarey II who looks to bring the same level of winning to men’s basketball that Florida A&M has enjoyed in their other sports in recent years.
Crarey was excited about the arrival of O’Neal, which he spoke about once the son of the NBA legend committed to play for Florida A&M.
Shaqir has played in one of the premier programs in our conference and for a great head coach. He brings versatility, athleticism, and experience to our team. I’m excited he chose me to help him achieve his goals,” Crarey said in July.
O’Neal has started the season strongly, posting averages of 10.8 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, with impressive shooting percentages of 51.7% from the field and 44.4% from three-point range. He looks to be a central part of the team’s turnaround as they continue early season out-of-conference play and enter SWAC play in 2025.
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