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Shaqir O’Neal, the son of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, is transferring to Florida A&M. The Rattlers announced O’Neal’s addition Monday night after he spent his first three seasons at Texas Southern. A 6-foot-8 forward, O’Neal will have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Unlike his physically imposing father, Shaqir is more perimeter-oriented. He hit 6 of 21 attempts from 3-point range for Texas Southern last season while averaging 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per game. At Florida A&M, he should have a better chance of finding a significant role.
The Rattlers are just 13-45 over the past two seasons and are rebooting under first-year coach Patrick Crarey II. By transferring from Texas Southern to Florida A&M, O’Neal is staying within the SWAC and will be suiting up against his former team.
O’Neal originally landed at Texas Southern in part because of his family’s relationship with the program’s coach, Johnny Jones, who was an assistant at LSU during Shaquille O’Neal’s collegiate playing career there. Texas Southern has been at or near the top of the SWAC standings in recent years under Jones’ direction, and earning significant playing time proved difficult for the younger O’Neal.
He isn’t the first member of his family to transfer. Shareef O’Neal, Shaqir’s brother, left UCLA after the 2019-20 season and transferred to LSU, where he played for two seasons as a reserve.
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