"Asjia is a spitting image of me, but she is better -- a much better version of me," said Jermaine, who went straight from high school to the NBA. ONeal monitors her health but hasnt been restricted or been unable to participate due to any heart-related problems. The point after that, O'Neal blocks the Oklahoma attack, 24-21 Texas. So the Texas star and daughter of former NBA player Jermaine O'Neal chose open-heart surgery -- twice -- to play the game she loves. O'Neal burst into tears once again, holding her face, sobbing and remembering. O'Neal looks at the official who made the call, her face scrunched up, her palms wide open, What was that about? He was drafted by Portland in the 1996 first round and spent 19 years in the NBA. As soon as the doctors left the room, Asjia turned to her parents and said, "I just want to finish out the season. Teaching them . And based on some of her highlight videos, it looks as though the 6-foot-4 teenager is already an unstoppable force like her dad. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Shareef O'Neal had six points and four rebounds in his 10 first-half minutes during LSU's 75-55 win over Missouri. In 2002, the former NBA player married Shaunie O'Neal, a reality television star, but later divorced. At 15, when she saw Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott at several of her matches, her excitement grew. The mother-daughter duo relocated to . "I'm gonna try my best to rally people, put it on social media, get people out," Shaunie said. She also earned the 2019 MaxPreps California All-State Girls Team honorable mention and is a two-time All-State honoree. O'Neal has become a leader for Texas, the national runner-up to Kentucky a year ago. "I had a ton of dialogue with [her doctor], probably even more than she knows," Jermaine said. *Terms apply. Asjia needed to get to Cleveland as soon as possible for an MRI. In terms of height O'Neal is a . Ayesha Harrison Jex, the sister of basketball great Shaquille O'Neal, has tragically died at the age of 40. Highlights of the 6-foot-4 LA's Finest star show that she's already an unstoppable force like her dad. via Pinterest. Shortly after she was cleared to return to the gym, the coronavirus pandemic shut down sports. In Newark, New Jersey on March 6, 1972, Shaquille O'Neal was born to parents Lucille O'Neal and Joseph Toney. 1 team in Texas throughout most this past season. Just a few minutes ago, the scoreboard read 22-17. "She brings so much energy to the team and we feed off of her all the time.". She had a lot to learn -- volleyball's rules were "weird" -- but she loved the intensity, the ability to work closely with her teammates when the ball was in the air and the speed of the game. And the intensity of volleyball was putting too much stress on her cardiovascular system. SHAQUILLE O'Neal is arguably one of the greatest basketball players and centers of all time. BEFORE TEXAS. "All lives can't matter, until Black lives matter," she says in the video, looking directly at the camera. The O'Neals immediately sprang to action. Aug 03, 2021. Midway through a cartwheel, Asjia said, "Dad, I'm going to win it." Cassy Athena/Getty Images / SSJreef/Twitter, NOW WATCH: NBA ref explains why the James Harden step-back jumper isn't traveling, Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. On the second day, she slowly sat up and walked a few steps with support. ", About five hours later he walked out of surgery and said, "It's a success. She changed into a hospital gown, lay down, and a nurse administered an echocardiogram and an EKG, tests to check the rhythm and structure of her heart and its electrical signals. With the LSU Tigers, he was a two-time Consensus First-Team All-American selection. Her voice helped spark important changes on campus. Nobody even asked, really. Privacy Policy She organized meetings with the volleyball staff and her teammates. Myles O'Neal (8 May 1997) is an American television personality who was one of the main cast members in the VH1 reality series Shaunie's Home Court. This situation is dripping with irony and serendipity. When O'Neal arrived back on campus, she called her mom from the sidewalk; Mesha O'Neal heard only sobs. All along, she was plotting her comeback. Catch up on the day's news you need to know. Mesha is sitting next to her eating a salad, and even though she knows Asjia's story intimately, she's paying close attention, nodding at times, and adding her perspective here and there. When O'Neal was in infancy, his father, Toney, who was an addict was convicted and sent to . Heres what you need to know. Shaquille O'Neal returned to LSU on Saturday, but it wasn't for him. Point Oklahoma. 1 overall? His recommendation to walk away from volleyball only strengthened O'Neal's resolve to stay on the court, prompting Asjia and her family to look hard for alternate solutions. Southlake (Texas) Carroll sophomore volleyball star Asjia O'Neal has committed to Texas for the Class of 2018. "I was so young. "I'm not going to just die on the court. Monique reported on the trendiest news within the greater Houston region and across Texas, and occasionally contributes to the Chronicle's race and identity newsletter, HouWeAre. She had 125 kills, 93 blocks, 35 digs and 22 aces. By identifying that O'Neal's leaky valve had worsened, the doctor that day started a chain reaction that could lead to celebrations for years to come. LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 24: Former Los Angeles Lakers player Shaquille O'Neal speaks after unveiling of his statue at Staples Center March 24, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. During one of her first days at school, two girls asked her if she'd ever thought about playing volleyball. And thanks to coach Kelvin Sampson and the assistants he Solomon: DeMeco Ryans the right coach at the right time, 3 pressing questions facing new Astros GM Dana Brown, Jabari Smith Jr. growing up in NBA with an assist from his father, Poor parent behavior is driving high school sports refs away. Gave birth to her 5th child at age 31, a daughter Mearah Sanaa O'Neal on May 1, 2006. Shaquille was said to be very thrilled to have his first child in the 1997 Sports Illustrated interview. Asjia's echo and EKG results didn't show anything out of the ordinary, which made her question herself even more. Jed Jacobsohn/ALLSPORT. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. In 2002, two years after Asjia was born, O'Neal was named the league's most improved player, charming fans with his outgoing personality and tantalizing promise with the Indiana Pacers. She said that she hopes they can, and that she intends to keep supporting female players by promoting their achievements and getting new fans involved. It didn't feel like this was her game, like this was what she was meant to do. Then he calls captain Logan Eggleston to run over to question the call. Hope you guys enjoy this one as m. She hugged her family, her coach and her trainer before getting wheeled away. The previous day doctors had told her that recovery would be more difficult this time. Monique Welch was an engagement reporter for the Houston Chronicle. Now, she could perform the entire routine on resting heart rate. His official bio notes that he only played 10 games during the 2020-2021 season because of a fracture in his foot. So, we gotta change that.". When she was a toddler, her father, Jermaine O'Neal, was at the peak of his 18-season NBA career. Unlike the rest of the Shaq children, Taahirah isn't involved in basketball. "She has the ability to change [the team's] personality, maybe more than anybody on our team," Elliott said. 2020: 2020 Honda Inspiration Award winnerAVCA Honorable Mention All-AmericanAVCA All-Southwest RegionFirst Team All-Big 12First Team Academic All-Big 12 She couldn't bring herself to respond. She started dominating in the playoffs as a freshman. Shaquille O'Neal's 13-year-old daughter, Me'arah, can dunk. 2023 The University of Texas at Austin Athletics, J. Dan Brown Family Player Development Center. * Why LSU? "Its a great day for Texas Southern University anytime you can get any one of the ONeals to commit," he said. I have done this before, and this too shall pass, she kept telling herself. She pulls up her shirt and points to three healed holes spaced equidistant below her chest. It does not store any personal data. * Preferred walk-on. Source: Instagram. Shaquille O'Neal's younger daughter Me'Arah O'Neal is making great progress with her basketball game. ", When they walked into Najm's office, they asked, almost in unison, "Could she finish the season? At every level of basketball, Shaquille O'Neal dominated. He's also a forward at LSU, just on the men's team. 29.3m Followers, 1,860 Following, 3,725 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from DR. SHAQUILLE O'NEAL Ed.D. Next up is Rice (20-6) on Friday. O'Neal was born in Newark, New Jersey, to parents Lucille O'Neal and Joe Toney on March 6, 1972, making him 11 years older than the Chicago Fire actor. Shaquille O'Neal is one of the most famous basketball players of all time. On the first day after the operation, she couldn't sit up, couldn't engage her core in any way, and her parents had to sit her up. She is also the daughter of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and former Los Angeles Laker Shaquille O'Neal. Her older sister Amirah O'Neal can play too. . In order to monitor O'Neal's heart and to compare her to people without a heart condition, her teammates wore heart monitors during practice. Three days later they had an appointment booked at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, which has consistently ranked No. "Was there anything that we should be looking out for or pulling her back on? As of March 2023, Shaquille O'Neal's net worth is roughly $400 Million, making him one of the richest athletes in the world. Who will win nationals? Shaquille O'Neal, aka Shaq, is a retired professional basketball player who is currently serving as a sports analyst. PERSONAL. Amirah is a 6'1 post player who averaged 17.2 points per game as a junior during the 2018-2019 season as a junior. As a child of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, great height and basketball are two things that are almost certain in life. "There's been some changes," he began. And on the fourth day, she could make one round, with her aid. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball . * Has three brothers, Myles, Shareef and Shaqir, and two sisters, Taahirah and Mearah; Shareef will be a member of the LSU mens basketball team in 2020-21. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". "I'm proud of the moment and just coming back from it -- so now, I'll wear whatever. "What she has, she's had for more than a year now.". She receives messages from Black mothers on social media talking about how their kids want to play volleyball after watching her on the court. She also helped the Texas Advantage Volleyball 17 Black club team win the USA Volleyball Girls Junior National Championship the summer before her senior season and was named a club All-American by PrepVolleyball.com. Like many other vocal athletes, O'Neal faced backlash on social media, with comments on her profile like, "I'm never going to buy a ticket again. Her doctor entered the room, holding her results in his hands. 2 seed until COVID-19 nixed the tournament. UT is also erecting a statue of Heman M. Sweatt, the first Black student admitted into the UT Law School, who fought and won a Supreme Court case that paved the way for desegregation at colleges and universities across the country. As she waited on the exam table for her doctor, she made small talk with the Texas volleyball team's physical trainer, DeAnn Koehler, who had driven her to the hospital. They talked about the weather and the upcoming 2019 season, when O'Neal, a 6-foot-3 middle blocker, would make her debut after redshirting her first season with the Longhorns. PrepVolleyball No. [I'll] guide them in the right path," the former player said. The intensity of her volleyball training was the likely cause, her doctors told her parents. A 12-year-old growing up in Southern California, she was born into basketball royalty and is now starting to showcase that n Shaquille O'Neal was one of the most powerful and entertaining dunkers in the history of the NBA, and now the big man is passing his talent on to his kids. / (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images) Me'Arah O'Neal, the youngest daughter of Shaquille O'Neal and Shaunie Nelson is the latest basketball sensation in the O'Neal household. I just know how to do it, it just happens,'" Mesha said. Me'arah O'Neal has so much of Shaquille O'Neal in her. All rights reserved. ASJIA O'NEAL HAS always been a regular at big arenas. As her future began to take shape, Asjia thought her medical issues were in the past. * Averaged 17.2 points per game as a junior. All rights Reserved. Published on October 25, 2019 10:02 AM. Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal was born on the 6th day of March 1972 in Newark, New Jersey, the United States, to his mother, Lucille O'Neal, and father, Joe Toney, a former American basketball player. Shaquille O'Neal . The sports royalty proposed to Shaunie on 30th June 2000 and exchanged their nuptials in an extravagant ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel on 26th December 2002. Copyright 2022 Rolling Out. 2018 The L.A. event, which featured Zedd, Diplo and Lil Wayne, was a smash success. Me'Arah O'Neal, a four-star prospect in the Class of 2024, is considered one of the top players in her class. fishing, mountainside furniture racing, high school volleyball, rookie league baseball, and whatever was going on at the local rodeo.Author Scott Reiss -- of . Shaquille O' Neal was born on 6 March 1972 in Newark, New Jersey, in the United States to Lucille O'Neal and Joe Toney. CAREER In the time sense, Shaq's opened up about his marital mistakes and fans have . She was a middle schooler and didn't want to draw attention to her differences. Award-winning gospel singer and songwriter Yolanda Adams, television personality and former NFL player Michael Strahan, and U.S. Rep. Al Green all call the HBCU their alma mater. Ayesha, who recently appeared in a charity fashion show . She knew of Texas' success and she wanted to be a part of it. * Cal-Hi Sports Division IV All-State Team Amirah O'Neal, the daughter of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, announced her college basketball commitment Thursday to her father's alma mater LSU.. She posted the decision on Instagram.Her brother . Amirah is a 6-foot, 1-inch forward who averaged 17.2 points per game as a junior in high school, according to LSUs website. Publish date: Aug 10, 2021 6:37 PM EDT. The four-star recruit took a big recruiting visit this weekend. Child's father is her now ex-husband, Shaquille O . as well as other partner offers and accept our. There have been models, actresses, and reality TV personalities Flavor of Love 's Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander being among the most high profile of Shaq's girlfriends. And that empowered athlete would become an ever more influential person in arenas that matter far more than the Longhorns' Gregory Gymnasium. And that would lead to another open-heart surgery and an agonizing rehabilitation. Their . Maybe golf or cricket? That day, she tried out and made the school's B team (the school had an A, B and C team). She needed to have another open-heart surgery. (Mesha has missed only one home game this season, and she sent over her parents to watch her daughter play that day.). Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Sign up for notifications from Insider! I love your team. Amirah's little sister, Me'arah (left) is a rising sophomore at Crossroads School, where she plays basketball. Me'arah, who is the youngest of Shaq's five children, plays for LA's Finest, according to Rivals.com. "She will never know how bad she felt until she feels as good as she's going to feel now.". * Life after basketball own my own business. The sister of NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, Ayesha Harrison-Jex, died from cancer Thursday at age 40. After her first sand workout that summer, she called her mom crying. Asjia's mother, Mesha, sitting in the bleachers behind the Oklahoma side of the court, says, "She looks upset." O'Neal orchestrated the Longhorns' Black Lives Matter video campaign. Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu who had a close relationship with Kobe and Gigi Bryant made NCAA history hours after eulogizing her mentor and mentee, Here's why James Harden's controversial Euro step that everyone is calling a travel was actually completely legal, President of US Soccer once admitted USWNT had 'not been treated equally' despite arguing for dismissal of their gender discrimination lawsuit, Kobe Bryant fans looking to pay their respects to the NBA legend are visiting the wrong grave. Texas' lead shrinks to one, 22-21. A post shared by M ?? are unconfirmed rumors. ", When Jermaine told her that they'd have to fly to Cleveland, Asjia's first reaction was, "Wait, am I going to miss my next game?". As she went under, O'Neal remembered hearing "Started from the Bottom," a song her nurses picked for her when she told them she loved Drake. Nothing's going to happen to me. 2020 Holding her mother's hands tight, she remembered how this hurt after her first surgery, and the tubes were bigger this time. Little did she know that her chest would be sawed open again. The doctors signed her discharge papers. With their city hosting the Final Four, the Cougars don't shy from national title talk. * Three-time All-CIF Team I've been struggling all this time, and this is how everybody else feels after a workout? Specifically, Shaq revealed that, while his daughters get to live at home for . as well as another daughter by an ex-girlfriend. While watching O'Neal on the volleyball court, it is easy to forget that just 22 months ago, she could not sit up, let alone elevate her entire body to make a kill. TSU did finish last season with a 5-10 record during the pandemic-ravaged season. 2019 Shaquille O'Neal Expressed Displeasure Towards Michael B Jordan to 'Aunt' Nischelle Turner . "We're going to get a second opinion," Mesha said forcefully into the phone. In November, just days after the family had sent Asjia's latest reports to Cleveland Clinic -- the evening Texas played Oklahoma -- Jermaine received an urgent call from Asjia's doctor. He was the McDonald's All-American Game MVP after his prep career in San Antonio, Texas. Took a red shirt in her freshman season. O'Neal tuned out every word that came out of her doctor's mouth after that. Took a red shirt in her freshman season. I'm rich," O'Neal said while breaking down his parenting philosophy on the podcast. Also, Shaq has a daughter called Taahirah, with whom he had with his ex . A native Baltimorean and previous Tampa resident, Monique joined the Chronicle in the summer of 2021 after nearly four years at the Tampa Bay Times where she worked on all things digital, launched the newspaper's first race and identity newsletter, Regarding Race, and covered local news. ", "You just had your whole chest open, and you're already back," Gabriel recalled telling O'Neal. It was too dangerous for O'Neal to continue. Amirah ONeal will be coached by one of the greatest WNBA players ever, Cynthia Cooper, who won four consecutive titles with the now-defunct Houston Comets from 1997-2000. After meeting she had four children from the marriage with Shaquille, Shareef O'Neal, Amirah O'Neal, Me'arah O'Neal, and Shaqir O'Neal. " [Tonka] wouldn't have to pay me at all, I'm a Tonka tough . * Started playing basketball at age 10. He also is a father to . She surprised herself by not just leading her team in conversations about racial justice, but also taking those conversations to various communities within UT. She has a leaky valve that's making her heart work too hard. Point Oklahoma. The previous tests hadn't picked up on her deteriorating condition. The doctors told her that she would be discharged when she walked around the hospital, once, with a walking aid. Child's father is her now ex-husband, Shaquille O'Neal. "I see the doubt in they faces, they didn't think I would make it," she wrote on Instagram. She asked him to train her during the summer after fourth grade, but something didn't feel right. Instead of opening up her heart to replace the valve with a prosthetic one, as would be the norm with cases like hers, Najm re-repaired her mitral valve, removing fibrous tissues around the valve before placing the bigger ring. The third day, she could walk farther. . She nudges the ball over the net, and the referee blows the whistle. Shaquille O'Neal said on his podcast, "The Big Podcast with Shaq," that he was a "serial cheater" and the affairs cost him valuable time with his kids. 2021 Dr. Najm replaced it with the "biggest ring" he's ever "put on a woman before," Mesha remembered Najm saying. For more high school stories, stats and videos, visit http://usatodayhss.com. Since his father Toney got arrested due to drug possession when Shaquille was still an infant, he relinquished his parental rights to O'Neal's stepfather, Phillip A Harrison, who was a sergeant in the Army. As soon as she was cleared to play, she was back on the volleyball court. (@shaq) That includes his second eldest daughter, Amirah, who's a basketball star at her father's alma mater, Louisiana State University. * Daughter of Shaquille ONeal and Shaunie ONeal; Dad played for LSU from 1989-92 and was the No. From vegan to keto, which diet has the highest carbon footprint. Accompanying her . Website: www.shaq.com, Youtube:. ", To Asjia, it's all a blur now. Extremely blessed to say that I have verbally committed to play volleyball at the University of Texas! We wish her the best of luck.. O'Neal's mitral valve leak -- a condition she was born with that redirected blood back into her atrium rather than out to her ventricle, a condition that forced her heart to work extra hard to pump enough blood in the right direction, a condition that she already had undergone one surgery to correct -- had gotten worse, the doctor explained. Asjia is the daughter of former NBA All-Star Jermaine O'Neal. Doctors told Asjia O'Neal it was too dangerous to play volleyball. Robert Lee Moore Hall -- named after a mathematician known for his racist treatment of African American students at Texas -- was renamed the Physics, Math and Astronomy Building. After two heart surgeries, Texas volleyball star finds her power and voice, Previewing the 2023 college baseball season: Teams and players to watch, key storylines. Jermaine, who had been diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat in 2013, called every doctor he knew in the NBA to get his daughter the best treatment he could. She also earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors once and was named a Freshman All-American by VolleyballMag.com. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for . "College coaches are already calling about her. Check out Shaq's dating history over the . Played in 26 matches and 93 sets put down 125 kills, at 1.34 per set and hit .365 on the season She added 93 (7/86) blocks on the year with 35 digs and 22 aces put down a career-best nine kills, hitting .500 and adding four blocks against Rice (9/18) post an 8-0-8, 1.000 hitting line against West Virginia with seven blocks, two aces and two digs (10/19) recorded a career-best eight blocks against Kansas (11/23). Outside of basketball, he is known as a family man and is the father of six children. 2 recruit named to the USA Junior Nationals All-Tournament Team for three consecutive years (2015, 16, 17) 2017 USA Open National Champion 2016 7-6A MVP of Southlake Carroll High School TGCA All-Star named to the Northwest ISD Volleyball Classic, Ann Kang Invitational, and Lone Star Circle of Champions All-Tournament Teams 2015 VYPE Player of the Year 2015 Allen Texas Open All-Tournament Team. Me and her mother are talking about surgery, but she's talking about volleyball.". The Basketball Hall of Famer's daughter, Amirah O'Neal has committed to play basketball at Texas Southern University. FILE: Amirah "Mimi" O'Neal, pictured third from left in 2018, the daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O' Neal and VH1's Basketball Wives' star and executive producer, Shaunie O' Neal, has committed to play basketball at Texas Southern University, according to an Instagram post. O'Neal is trending on social media for her big recruiting visit this weekend.