Shaqir O’Neal, son of Basketball Hall of Fame and NBA analyst Shaq, is headed to a new HBCU home.
The former Texas Southern University forward is taking his talents to Florida A&M.
“Shaqir has played in one of the premier programs in our conference and for a great head coach,” said head coach Patrick Crarey. “He brings versatility, athleticism, and experience to our team. I’m excited he chose me to help him achieve his goals.”
Listed as 6’7, 201 pounds, Shaqir O’Neal was a three-star prospect in the Class of 2021 out of Union Grove Senior High School in Georgia. He redshirted the 2021-2022 season and made his college debut against San Francisco in Nov 2022. He played in 20 games during the 2022-2023 season, averaging 1.4 points per game in just over seven minutes of action per contest. The best game of his young career so far came against North American when he scored 12 points with 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 28 minutes.
TSU head coach Johnny Jones, who has close ties to Shaq, talked about how much Shaqir had improved heading into last season.
“One of the new guys that we’re really happy and excited about is Shaqir O’Neal,” Jones said. “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.”
Shaqir averaged 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game in 20 appearances this season. He played a season-high 23 minutes against Creighton and had his best game against Biblical Studies when he scored nine points and hit two three-pointers.