“The moments I wish I could split myself in half…” At the start of the season, Shaunie Henderson faced a conundrum when two of her kids made their debut on the same night. She attended only one game in person and that of her daughter, Me’Arah O’Neal, and was watching Shaqir’s game on her phone. This time for the son’s game, there was no such conundrum, as Shaunie attended the game in person while Shaquille O’Neal was busy with The Big Game weekend.
The executive producer of the Basketball Wives added multiple stories from the stands in support of her son. The Florida A&M star geared up to face the Texas Southern Tigers, where he contributed with 6 points. It was a visit to his old stomping ground, where he played for two seasons before transferring to the Rattlers.
However, during that spell, he didn’t play much as he averaged only 8.5 minutes per game. Shaqir was part of the squad and helped the Tigers win the SWAC Championship Tournament in 2023. The decision to swap has worked well for Shaquille O’Neal’s son, as he is the third-highest scorer for the team (8.1 per game). Plus, he is also third in terms of blocks per game (0.6) and has been a consistent scorer with 51.4 FG%. The 21-year-old leads the team when it comes to shooting from beyond the arc (41.7%).
Since it was a visit to his former team, Shaunie Henderson made sure to support her son, as Shaq was busy with DJing duties. DJ Diesel, had Shaq’s Fun House on February 7, 2025, at Mardi Gras World. The event during the Super Bowl weekend had nearly 5,000 general admission guests and another 1,000 VIP guests. The event, dubbed “Part Circus, Part Carnival, Part Festival” had a lineup of John Summit, Ludacris, and DJ IRIE. Even Myles O’Neal was part of the event, as he received a motivating message from his father.
Shaquille O’Neal did promote Shaqir a few months back
“I was gone a lot because of my job and I didn’t always want to be the bad guy, so I sort of relinquished my position as (disciplinarian).” Shaquille O’Neal once candidly accepted his lack of duties as a father figure in his kids’ lives. Even though he has to juggle between multiple gigs as an analyst, DJ, and entrepreneur, he finds more than before to spend with his kids.
Nov 11, 2024; College Park, Maryland, USA; Florida A&M Rattlers forward Shaqir O’Neal (8) drives to the basket against Maryland Terrapins guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie (0) during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images
During the season debut for Shaqir, even though Shaunie Henderson was present for Me’Arah’s game, Shaquille O’Neal showed up for his son. In December, he shared a post about his son on his Instagram. “Shaq’s legacy lives on Florida A&M guard Shaqir O’Neal is hoopin’ this season! Against top teams, he’s averaging: 9.6 PPG 3.8 RPG 52.1% FG 36.4% from 3 Big things ahead for the young king .”
In that post, the Rattler’s star could be seen dunking just like his father. Since this season has been a huge difference considering the experience before with the Tigers, Shaqir will definitely try to improve more. Even though Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie are separated, they have mastered the art of co-parenting. Both of them make sure to be present for Shaqir’s big moments.
The post In Shaquille O’Neal’s Absence, Mom Shaunie Cheers On Shaqir O’Neal in Career Renaissance appeared first on EssentiallySports.