Who is Shaquille O’Neal?
Shaquille O’Neal is an American former professional basketball player. O’Neal is also a sports analyst on the show “Inside the NBA”. Shaquille O’Neal is widely recognized as one of the greatest basketball players of his time. He played for six teams throughout his career and is also a four-time NBA champion. He is commonly referred to as “Shaq” by his friends and family.
Shaquille O’Neal’s full name is Shaquille Rashaun O’Neal. He was born on March 6, 1972, in Newark, New Jersey to his parents Lucille O’Neal (mother) and Joe Toney (father). Shaquille O’Neal is 50 years old as of July 2022. His father Joe Toney was an all-state guard and former basketball player while his mother is the president of the Mothers of Professional Basketball Players Association. According to reports, Shaquille’s father struggled with drug addiction and was imprisoned for drug possession when Shaquille was still an infant.
As a result of this, Shaquille O’Neal was raised by his step-father, Philip Arthur Harrison who worked as an army sergeant. Unfortunately, Philip Arthur Harrison passed away in 2013. Through his stepfather, Shaquille has three half-siblings. They include Jamal O’Neal, Ayesha Harrison-Jex, and Lateefah O’Neal.
About Shaquille O’Neal’s siblings
a. Jamal O’Neal is the half-brother of Shaquille. He was born to Lucille O’Neal and Philip Arthur Harrison. He is also a basketball player. Aside from this, no other information is known about him.
b. Lateefah O’Neal is Shaquille O’Neal’s older half-sister. She is a private person and, as a result, information about her is scarce in the media.
c. Ayesha Harrison-Jex is the younger half-sister of Shaquille O’Neal. She graduated with a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree from Florida A&M University. According to information gathered by DNB Stories Africa, Ayesha Harrison was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 23 while still in college. Unfortunately, she passed away on October 24, 2019. There is no information about her being married, but it is reported that she has a son named Bryce Harrison who is also a Basketball player.
Shaquille O’Neal’s height
According to reports, Shaquille O’Neal comes from a tall family. His parents were reportedly 6ft (1.85m) and 6ft (1.88m) tall respectively. At the age of 13, Shaquille was 6ft 6 inches (1.98m) and as of July 2022, Shaquille, now 50, is reportedly 7 ft 1.
Shaquille O’Neal’s marriage and wedding
As of the time of publishing this article, Shaquille O’Neal is divorced. The NBA star was previously married to his ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal. The pair got married in 2002 and parted ways in 2009. Their union produced four children. According to information gathered by DNB Stories Africa, Shaquille O’Neal is currently in a relationship with American actress, Annie Ilonzeh.
List of Shaquille O’Neal’s girlfriends
Before Shaquille’s marriage to Shaunie, he was romantically linked with several women. Even after his divorce from Shaunie, the NBA star still made headlines for his series of relationships. Here is a full list of Shaquille’s girlfriends. The list includes his baby mama, ex-wife, and current girlfriend.
- Arnetta Yardbourgh and Shaquille O’Neal dated in1992.
- Katrine Steffans and Shaquille O’Neal dated in 2004.
- Katrina Laverne and Shaquille O’Neal dated in 2007, reports say.
- Dominica Wrestling dated Shaquille in 2008.
- Laura Govan and Shaquille O’Neal reportedly dated in 2008.
- Nicole Alexander and Shaquille O’Neal dated Shaquille O’Neal in 2010.
- Laticia Rolle and Shaquille O’Neal dated in 2014.
- Dani Nicole and Shaquille O’Neal dated briefly in 2020.
- Annie Ilonzeh started dating Shaquille O’Neal in 2020.
About Shaquille O’Neal and Arnetta Yardbourgh’s relationship
Arnetta Yardbourgh is an American businesswoman and philanthropist widely recognized as the first girlfriend of Shaquille O’Neal as well as his baby mama. She was born on December 10, 1971, in Houston, Texas, United States. She is 50 years old as of July 2022.
Arnetta Yardbourgh and Shaquille met in 1992 while they were still in high school and they began dating almost immediately. However, things didn’t go as planned for the pair as they separated in early January 1996, after being together for around four years. Their relationship produced one daughter named Taahirah O’Neal who was born in July 1996.
Despite their split, Shaquille and Arnetta Yardbourgh have maintained a civil relationship for the sake of their daughter even though they have both refused to reveal the cause of their split. As of July 2022, Arnetta Yardbourgh is reportedly single.
About Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie O’Neal’s marriage
Shaunie O’Neal, now known as Shaunie Henderson is an American television personality, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She was born on November 27, 1974, in Wichita Falls, Texas, United States. She is 47 years old as of July 2022.
Shaquille O’Neal and his ex-wife, Shaunie started dating in the late 1990s after Shaquille joined the Los Angeles Lakers. The pair had a beautiful relationship before tying the knot on December 26, 2002, in a private ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel with over 200 guests in attendance. According to reports, they both welcomed their first two children, Shareef Rashaun and Amirah Sanaa in 2000 and 2001 respectively.
About Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie O’Neal’s divorce
In 2007, Shaquille O’Neal’s marriage to Shaunie hit the rocks. Shaquille filed for divorce from Shaunie in Miami. The petition was filed by Shaquille’s lawyer who disclosed that the marriage between them has been irretrievably broken. However, Shaunie wasn’t having any of it as she sought to dismiss Shaquille’s divorce suit and push for reconciliation. She filed a court motion to dismiss the divorce filing, requesting a three-month continuance with hopes of repairing their marriage.
In 2008, they both called off the divorce and a year later, they were spotted in Miami celebrating Shaquille’s 37th birthday at the Sagamore Hotel. Fans who saw them claimed that the two were in high spirits and it felt like nothing had happened between them. Unfortunately, on December 10, 2009, Shaunie filed for separation from Shaquille, citing irreconcilable differences. She also filed for sole custody of their children with visitation rights granted to Shaquille.
In 2010, they both reached an agreement and finalized their divorce.
Shaunie O’Neal’s first husband before Shaquille
According to information gathered by DNB Stories Africa, Shaunie was previously married to a certain man who she has chosen not to reveal and with whom she had her first child, Myles Baptiste Nelson in 1997.
Shaunie O’Neal’s new husband
As of July 2022, Shaunie is happily married to American pastor Keion Henderson. The couple got married at the Aurora Anguilla Resort and Golf Club on May 28, 2022.
About Shaquille O’Neal and Laticia Rolle’s relationship
Laticia Rolle is an American model, writer, and podcast host born on February 11, 1989, in Gardner, Massachusetts, United States. She is 33 years old as of July 2022. Shaquille O’Neal and Laticia were first spotted together in 2014. News of their romance spread shortly after. However, they kept their relationship private and in 2016, they sparked engagement rumours after Shaquille reportedly asked Laticia to marry him in the comment section of her post and she replied:
Yes, I will. Today, Tomorrow, and Forever yours.
In 2017, it was reported that the pair got engaged secretly after Laticia shared a photo with a ring on her finger. However, to the surprise of many, things turned sour between the love birds and they parted ways in March 2018, a month after Laticia’s 31st birthday. Although they never revealed any information about their split, it was obvious they were no longer together after Laticia deleted all traces of Shaquille O’Neal on her Instagram page.
About Shaquille O’Neal and Nicole Alexander’s relationship
Nicole Alexander aka Hoopz is an American reality star and media personality born on July 12, 1982, in Detroit, Michigan, United States. She is 39 years old as of July 2022. Shaquille and Nicole started dating in 2010 when Shaquille was playing for the Boston Celtics. Their relationship was the most talked-about and it gained a lot of attention from the public, probably due to the 11-year age difference between them.
The pair lived together in Boston and at one point in time, it was reported that they had gotten engaged and were ready to become life partners. However, in 2012, the love birds parted ways. It was Shaquille O’Neal that revealed he had had enough of the relationship after having a heated argument with Nicole in public. In Nicole Alexander’s words, she lost herself in the relationship and Shaquille O’Neal became her focus despite having her own career and other responsibilities to uphold.
About Shaquille O’Neal and Annie Ilonzeh’s relationship
Annie Ilonzeh is Shaquille O’Neal’s current girlfriend, as of July 2022. She is an American actress and television personality born on August 23, 1983, in Grapevine, Texas, United States. She is 38 years old as of July 2022. Details of how Annie and Shaquille met are currently unknown, but their relationship started making headlines after they were spotted together holding hands in New York City in 2021. They had both managed to keep their relationship private despite the 12-year age difference between them.
Shaquille O’Neal’s children
As of July 2022, Shaquille O’Neal has a total number of six children – three boys and three girls. Four of his children are from his previous marriage with his ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal; one is from his relationship with his first girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh and the other child is from Shaunie’s previous relationship who he later adopted.
List of Shaquille O’Neal’s children:
- Taahirah O’Neal
- Myles Baptiste Nelson O’Neal
- Shareef Rashaun O’Neal
- Shaqir O’Neal
- Amirah Sanaa O’Neal and
- Me’arah Sanaa O’Neal.
| Name | Gender | Age |
| Taahirah O’Neal | Female | 25 |
| Myles Baptiste Nelson O’Neal | Male | 25 |
| Shareef Rashaun O’Neal | Male | 22 |
| Shaqir O’Neal | Male | 19 |
| Amirah Sanaa O’Neal | Female | 20 |
| Me’arah Sanaa O’Neal | Female | 16 |
About Shaquille O’Neal’s children
a. Taahirah O’Neal is Shaquille O’Neal’s first child. Taahirah’s mother is Shaquille’s first girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh. Taahirah was born on July 19, 1996, in Orlando, Florida but was raised in Houston, Texas, United States. She is 25 years old as of July 2022. She graduated Magna cum laude from Oglethorpe Brookhaven University, Georgia, in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. She has also worked with Pepsico and has served as a social media marketer and a community outreach specialist to help the brand create awareness.
b. Myles Baptiste Nelson O’Neal was born on May 8, 1997, to Shaunie O’Neal and her previous lover in Los, Angeles, California, United States. He is 25 years old as of July 2022. Details of Myles’ biological father are currently unknown, but after he was adopted by Shaquille, he took on his surname. The 25-year-old is a model and has worked with top fashion brands like Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Vera Wang, Alexander Wang, and many others. He recently became a reality star on the E! reality TV series “Relatively Famous: Ranch Rules”. The show which premiered in January 2022 contains eight celebrity kids who work and live together at a ranch in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
c. Shareef Rashaun O’Neal is Shaquille O’Neal’s first son with his ex-wife, Shaunie O’Neal. Just like his dad, Shareef is an American basketball player. He was born on January 11, 2000, in Los Angeles, California, United States. He is 22 years old as of July 2022. Shareef O’Neal attended Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California, where he was ranked among the top basketball players of his class.
d. Shaqir O’Neal is the lesser-known son of Shaquille and Shaunie O’Neal. He is also an American college basketball player born on April 19, 2003, in Los Angeles, California, United States. He is 19 years old as of July 2022. He also plays for the Texas Southern University (TSU) Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
e. Amirah Sanaa O’Neal is the first daughter of Shaquille and Shaunie O’Neal. She is also a basketball player born on November 13, 2001, in Los Angeles, California. She is 20 years old as of July 2022. Just like Shaqir, Amirah also plays for the Texas Southern University (TSU) Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).
f. Me’arah O’Neal is the youngest daughter of Shaquille and Shaunie O’Neal. She was born on May 1, 2006, in Miami, Florida, United States. She is 16 years old as of July 2022. Me’arah attends Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California.
