Shaquille O’Neal, an NBA icon, and a former basketball player, is also reported to be a responsible father and a loving husband. The former NBA all-star Shaquille has six children and a complicated co-parenting situation with his ex-wife Shaunie O’Neal that shows he is as much a father as he is a master of slam dunks. Apart from all the glamour of stardom, it has parenting difficulties after a divorce, teaching moral values, and being the father who tries to remain an icon while being a father. This article focuses on Shaquille’s marriage with Shaunie, how they discipline their children, and their children’s accomplishments.
Marriage to Shaunie O’Neal: Challenges Faced In A Journey Of Love
Shaquille and Shaunie met in the late 1990s and were an item as a couple for quite some while. They engaged in 1981 and then tied the knot in 2002 and their love life was a decade-long interconnection between fame, friendships, and private passion. Together, they have four children: Sharing, Amirah, Shaqir, and Me’arah. So too, took charge of Shaunie’s son another man, Myles, raising him as his own boy. What most of the viewers could not see was that like any other family,they had to face certain issues in their relationship.
However, it appeared that they were really happy and the internal and external factors that arose in their relationships became critical to overcome. In his memoir, Shaq Uncut: My Story, Shaquille has been unfaithful to his wife which contributed to the dissolution of his marriage. Meanwhile, Shaunie revealed in her own memoir,
Undefeated: The Readers Will Learn in Changing the Rules and Winning on My Own Terms how small fissures in their relationship were apparent right from the start. She reposted his concerns about the time that Shaquille was absent from school and how this affected her emotionally. By the year 2009, the couple decided to seek the annulment of the marriage and thus converted into an official couple’s divorce.
However, after years of marital strife aside, Shaquille and Shaunie are on speaking terms to this day. Both have shown that they have respect for each other, particularly in matters regarding the children. Shaunie always hears Shaquille showering her with compliments about being a good mom and both are happy recognizing the need to cooperate to parent their kids. I think that their actions prove the point that despite total strangers, they are willing to set aside their egos and personal animosity for the sake of the children.
Shaquille’s Parenting Philosophy
Thus Shaquille O’Neal is as much a playfully inclined father as he is an authoritatively structured one. Endearingly nicknamed Shaq-a-Claus, Shaquille’s children always recall him giving them expensive gifts during the festive season and on other occasions. But, at the same time, he underlines the importance of active employment, and of being responsible for the outcome.
On Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2017, Shaquille jokingly said that he would take his children anywhere they wanted “everything they want.com.” But beneath all the funny bones, he has a strong principle of teaching his children responsibility. He makes them submit resumes, elaborate business proposals, and prove working in their business before he invests cash in their businesses. Such an approach discloses his decision to make his kids responsible achievers rather than prodigal offspring who grow up expecting all their accomplishments to be footed by their wealthy, famous father.
Subsequently, there is evidence that Shaquille’s parenting philosophy has been effective with his children in transforming their profession and profound development. He imposes responsibility for growth, which while nurturing, gives her the fight within her, and that pushes her to struggle.
His Children: Achievements and Aspirations
Taahirah O’Neal
Taahirah ‘Daisi’ Carter was born in 1996 and is Shaquille’s first born child by his former girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh. Namely, Taahirah has been successful in keeping her identity rather low profile even though she is the daughter of Michael Jackson – the king of pop. Currently a communications analyst at PepsiCo, she graduated magna cum laude from Oglethorpe University. The success achieved in the course of the series reveals Taahirah as a professional and as a person who sets out to achieve success without the help of her father.
Also read: Shaquille O’Neal Teams with Former Disney Executives in New Acquisitions Company
Myles O’Neal
Myles is Shaunie’s son, from her previous marriage, but she adopted Shaquille as his father, and he was born in 1997. Myles has taken up employment in the sectors of entertainment and fashion, where he recently embarked on trying to become a model and sometimes a DJ. Siddhant started gaining recognition when he walked the runway for Milan Fashion Week in 2018. Myles is also on social media where he posts stories of his artwork and his involvements with his father.
Shareef O’Neal
Shareef was born in 2000 and like his father, he has taken up basketball as his sport. His career, however, took a complicated twist when he was diagnosed of congenital heart disease in 2018. Shareef postponed the game after surviving a heart surgery through open heart surgery and showed good standing as a survivor by getting back to the court. He later played for the NBA G league ignite team where he still hopes to realize his professional basketball dreams. For that readily, Shareef’s experience has been inspiring, with the man exhibiting a lot of heart in his fight.
Amirah O’Neal
Born in the year 2001, Amirah has also adopted basketball as one of her favorite games. She began as an undrafted player at LSU, but she later joined Texas Southern University to enhance her athletic career. Her action demonstrates that she can take both academic and sports seriously. Similarly to Amirah, hardworking and passionate all the players have good values that flow from their parents.
Shaqir O’Neal
Shaqir, born in 2003 is another young basketball player, in the O’Neal family. Shaqir made a radical move by deciding to attend an HBCU, his current institution is, Texas Southern University. It is a testament to achieving jobs within historically black colleges and universities and he continues to make a name for himself on and off the basketball court.
Me’arah O’Neal
The youngest of the O’Neal family, Me’arah, who was born in 2006, is Following the family’s footsteps and is a basketball player. Despite that, she has offers from over a dozen prestigious universities, including the University of Florida to which she committed recently. Her skill set matched with her desire to succeed makes her an even more solid candidate for women’s basketball players.
Co-Parenting Success with Shaun Robinson O’Neal
While Shaquille and Shaunie were able to make the decision to divorce when they did, nevertheless they continue to show that one can co-parent well in today’s society, especially after a famous breakup. One of the main things that has seen them remain good friends is that they are focused on their children’s happiness and success. Simply taking their children to school activities and games, and public showing of affection also shows the family’s earnestness in creating stability and a unified family in front of other people.
