O’Neal and his former spouse Shaunie O’Neal are parents to four children: sons Shareef and Shaqir and daughters Amirah and Me’arah. The athlete also has a stepson named Myles from Shaunie’s previous relationship and a daughter named Taahirah from his previous girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh.

Despite their splits, O’Neal maintains close ties with both of his ex-partners and continues to co-parent his children.

𝚗 a𝚗 epιsoɀe of The Plot Point Podcast, The Athelete State, I have two wonderful women who have given me beautiful, magnificent crystals. I have to protect them, I have to provide for them, and I have to love them forever.

Speaking of providing, Shaq revealed that he likes to spoil his kids for Christmas in an interview with Mila Kunis that aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in October 2017. He went by the moniker “Shaq-a-Claus.” When Kunis asked what he gets his children for Christmas, he replied, “Everything they want.com.”

The athlete is a generous man, but he doesn’t help his kids with their careers until after they’ve proven themselves. In an interview with PEOPLE in November 2022, O’Neal made it clear that, even though he will help his kids in their business ventures, he still expects them to work hard. They cited their “business plan,” “resume,” and “numbers” to support their claim. “I don’t give a damn about who you are because, done right, I think nepotism is acceptable.”

After “checking into the old folks home,” NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal expressed his hope that his children would continue what he started and contribute to the generational wealth he built throughout his career.

During an interview on the podcast “2 Lies and 1 Truth” in October 2022, O’Neal praised the mothers of his children, referring to them as “the strongest beings on this planet.” He acknowledged the mothers’ expertise in planning activities for the children, emphasizing their deserving respect and credit for the work they do.

O’Neal made it clear that he would never refer to the mothers as “baby mamas,” expressing his appreciation for the two strong Black women who have performed an amazing job.

When asked about his favorite and worst moments spent with his kids, O’Neal mentioned that the best moment is coming home every day and hearing the voices of his five or six children. The worst part, he revealed, was when they separated and stopped being there every day, describing it as his likely worst experience.

For a breakdown of O’Neal’s six-person family, it’s mentioned that one of his children is Taahirah, aged 27.

O’Neal welcomed his daughter, Taahirah, into the world in 1996, with his ex-girlfriend Yardbourg. According to T&T’s Shaq Life, she earned a magna cum laude degree from Oglethorpe University in 2019. As per her LinkedIn profile, she serves as a part-time social media assistant for her father’s entertainment company, Mine o’ Mine, and works as an associate analyst for PepsiCo in communications.

Taahirah shared a now-deleted photo with her father on November 16, 2022, at the premiere of his HBO documentary series Shaq. She expressed her honor to be part of the project and reminisced about walking the carpet with her best friend.

O’Neal, Myles, 26

In 1997, Shaunie gave birth to Myles, who later adopted O’Neal’s last name. Myles has been involved in the entertainment industry since a young age, walking runways and appearing on TV shows. His TV debut was on his mother’s reality show, Basketball Wives, in 2010. He later appeared on Shaunie’s Home Court and made his runway debut at Milan Fashion Week in 2018.

Apart from his entertainment pursuits, Myles is passionate about DJing, collaborating with O’Neal on live setups for DJ Diesel. The NBA player mentioned in August 2023 that they often trade songs and practice together.

O’Neal Shareef, 23

Shareef overcame a congenital heart abnormality discovered at 18, just before starting his rookie season at UCLA. Despite initial doubts about his basketball future, Shareef underwent successful open-heart surgery. After playing for LSU and UCLA, he left college early to pursue a professional basketball career. In July 2022, he signed with the NBA G League Ignite after participating in the NBA Summer League with the Los Angeles Lakers.

O’Neal Amirah, 21

Amirah is a collegiate basketball player at Texas Southern University and was previously a walk-on at LSU, following in her father’s footsteps.

O’Neal Shaqir, 20

Shaquir shares his passion for sports and aims to change the narrative for historically Black institutions and universities. According to ESPN, he expressed his ambition to make it to the league during an interview.

O’Neal Me’arah, 17

The youngest of the O’Neal siblings, Me’arah, attends Episcopal High School and recently left CyFair Elite Sports. She posted pictures on Instagram commemorating her departure, expressing gratitude to CyFair and sharing her excitement for the future. Several universities, including LSU, UCLA, TCU, Virginia University, and Howard University, have extended offers to her for her budding basketball career.