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College sports are completely different now than they were when Shaquille O’Neal spent his days dunking the basketball for the LSU Tigers before entering the NBA.
O’Neal played three seasons at LSU before turning pro. He was later selected No. 1 overall by the Orlando Magic in the 1992 draft.
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Florida Gators forward Me’arah O’Neal takes the field against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fla., on Jan. 4, 2026. (Matt Pendleton/Imagn Images)
With the advent of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals and the increased use of the transfer portal, there is hardly an athlete today who does not at least think about changing schools. O’Neal’s daughter became the latest college athlete to transfer schools on Monday.
Me’Arah O’Neal announced she will transfer to the Kentucky Wildcats.
“I thank you that I was wonderfully separated. Your works are wonderful – I know this very well. (Psalm 139:14)” she wrote on Instagram, announcing her engagement.
Tennessee guard Talaysia Cooper attempts a shot while guarded by Florida forward Me’Arah O’Neal during an NCAA college basketball game in Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 1, 2026. (Saul Young/News Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
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O’Neal played two seasons with the Gators, adding to her playing time in 2025-26. She averaged 13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. match. Florida finished 18-15 on the year, but failed to reach the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
The Wildcats are coming off a season in which they made the Elite Eight. Kentucky finished 25-11, defeating the James Madison Dukes and West Virginia Mountaineers before falling to the Texas Longhorns.
Shaquille O’Neal has previously praised his daughter as being the standout basketball player in his family.
Shaquille O’Neal honors the flag during the first half of an NCAA women’s basketball game at the Steven C. O’Connell Center Exactech Arena in Gainesville, Fla., on Jan. 29, 2026. His daughter, Florida forward Me’arah O’Neal, is on the team. (Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun)
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“My baby is the best athlete in the family because she can do it all,” he previously said via ESPN. “She’s not an old-school player. She’s the new pick-your-own type of player, so I’ll give her the title. She can shoot, she can dribble. She can’t be confused when it comes to certain things.”
