After two years of play, Shaqir O'Neal, son of NBA all-time great Shaquille O'Neal, announced his decision to transfer from Texas Southern. O'Neal committed to the Texas HBCU in 2021, but redshirted the 2021-22 season.
Texas Southern forward Shaqir O’Neal, son of Shaq, is hitting the transfer portal. https://t.co/9bSPVAkXDs
— HBCU Gameday (@HBCUGameday) March 20, 2024
O'Neal has struggled to truly find his fit with Texas Southern, hence his entrance into the transfer portal. Last season, he averaged 1.3 points and 0.9 rebounds in about seven minutes per game across 21 contests.
His numbers slightly improved this year, jumping to 1.8 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 9.7 minutes per game in 20 games. Head coach Johnny Jones, who coached Shaquille at LSU, was excited about Shaqir's progress over the offseason.
“One of the new guys that we're really happy and excited about is Shaqir O'Neal,” Jones said. “I think people that hadn't had an opportunity to see his offseason workouts – I think he's done an awesome job in transitioning in the last two years and we're looking forward to him making an impact with us and for us as well.”
O'Neal has had flashes of brilliance throughout both seasons, however. In 2022, O'Neal played 28 minutes against North American, recording 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and a block. Shaqir couldn't find his shot from deep last season, but that changed this year.
He gained confidence in his three-point shot, increasing his attempts from 0.6 to 1.1. In his best game this season, the 6'8″ forward knocked down two three-pointers on his way to nine points, two rebounds, and an assist in 21 minutes of play. In Texas Southern's first game of the year, O'Neal played 17 minutes and recorded eight points and a steal, and he made his lone three-point attempt.
Coming out of high school, recruitment sites labeled O'Neal as a three-star prospect. 24/7 Sports ranked him as the 55th best player in the country at his position. The Union Grove High School graduate sort of shocked his followers when he chose to attend Texas Southern.
“I just wanted to change the narrative of culture and do something new,” O'Neal said after the decision. “A lot of people are going to follow me… [Expect] a lot of buckets.”
His father Shaquille didn't have too much to say about Shaqir's decision, but he did address it on his podcast.
“Johnny Jones who was a coach at LSU, I know he's going to take care of my son,” O'Neal said. “He's one of the first people in our family to go to an HBCU. My father went to an HBCU for one or two years, but then he said, ‘You know what, I got to take care of this big dude so I got to get another job.'”
Shaqir O'Neal has yet to announce where he'll take his talents to next.
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