Ex-Florida star Me'Arah O'Neal committed to Kentucky on Monday, as the Wildcats landed one of the NCAA transfer portal's biggest offseason names.
The daughter of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal announced her decision via Instagram after entering the NCAA transfer portal earlier in April. Me'Arah O'Neal posted 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game as a sophomore with the Gators before Florida fired head coach Kelly Rae Finley following the program's fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament absence.
The move reunites the McDonald's All-American with SEC competition. O'Neal joins a Kentucky program that reached the Sweet 16 last season under head coach Kenny Brooks, with aspirations for a deeper 2027 NCAA Tournament run.
Shaq recently praised his youngest daughter's versatility on social media, calling her "the best athlete in the family" and admitting he wishes he could shoot like her. The 15-time NBA All-Star emphasized her modern skill set, blending shooting, ball-handling, and control.
"She's not an old-school player. She's the new pick-your-type player," Shaq said on his podcast. "She can shoot, she can dribble. She can't be fazed when it comes to certain things."
Kentucky returns leading scorer Clara Strack alongside three incoming McDonald's All-American freshmen and UConn transfer Ayanna Patterson. The Wildcats lost in the Sweet 16, but built momentum heading into next season.
Me'Arah O'Neal joins three siblings who played college basketball. Shareef competed at UCLA and LSU, Amirah played at LSU and Texas Southern, while brother Shaqir averaged 5.3 points last season at Sacramento State — where Shaq currently serves as the men's basketball GM under coach Mike Bibby.
Angel Reese’s basketball superstardom earned her a lot of attention during her four-game absence from No. 7 LSU’s lineup.
Her celebrity has also secured her a multi-year NIL deal with Reebok. Shaquille O’Neal is the new president of basketball for the brand, as well as a mentor of Reese’s, and he’s been helping Reese throughout her absence.
“I talked to Shaq every day. We FaceTimed, he called, he checked on me every single day to make sure I was good,” Reese said. “He told me every day, ‘This too shall pass.’ He’s been here before and he knows what it takes.”
Reese made a triumphant return to the court for the Tigers in Thursday’s 82-64 win against Virginia Tech. After the game, she did not go into any detail about the nature of her absence, continuing the precedent she and Tigers head coach Kim Mulkey set while she was gone. But some of the comments Reese made about speaking with Shaq may shed some light on the situation.
“Being able to have somebody like that was something that was really good for me. He told me when I was right, when I was wrong and told me what I needed to do to get back. And I know he’s probably going to call me after this game,” Reese said.
Reese recorded 19 points and 9 rebounds against the Hokies. After the game, she shouted out her support system — likely including Shaq — for getting her through the intense scrutiny she endured during her time away from the team. Before Thursday, she had last played on Nov. 14.
“I want people to realize that I’m not just an athlete, I’m a human. I go through things, we all go through things. Being able to have so many people that are super supportive to me over this past week-and-a-half really showed me a lot and who really cares for me,” Reese said.
“When you’re up, everybody loves you. And when you’re down is when you see who really loves you. Being able to have such supportive people for me here through a tough time for me was really important.”