Shaq’s Daughter Me’Arah O’Neal Makes Kentucky Statement As Gilbert Arenas, Antoine Walker React To Her 'Masterclass’

Me’Arah O’Neal impressed with 18 points in Kentucky’s win over Evansville© NDTV GALLERY

Me'Arah O'Neal scored 18 points in Kentucky's 98-30 win over Evansville, giving the Wildcats another strong performance in their unbeaten start to the 2026-27 season. The daughter of Shaquille O'Neal shot 6-of-7 from the field, made two of her three three-point attempts and converted all four free throws. She also added eight rebounds, three assists and a block without committing a turnover. Her display drew attention from NBA names, including Gilbert Arenas and Antoine Walker. It also brought fresh attention to Shaq's praise of his daughter as the best athlete in the family.

Me'Arah O'Neal's Performance Draws Praise From Gilbert Arenas And NBA Stars

Kentucky's win on November 11 was led by freshman Emily McDonald, who scored 27 points and set a program record with nine three-pointers. O'Neal made her impact early, scoring Kentucky's first 11 points during a 14-0 run. She finished with 18 points in 19 minutes, according to the official box score. McDonald hit nine of her 12 attempts from beyond the arc, and Kentucky led 46-11 at halftime.

After ESPNW shared a highlight video of O'Neal's performance, Arenas reacted with". Antoine Walker, who played with Shaq on the Miami Heat's 2006 championship team, also joined in. He wrote, “Big blue nation .”

Matt Barnes, Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Udonis Haslem and Jamal Crawford also liked the highlight post. Her stepfather, Keion Henderson, commented “.” Her mother, Shaunie Henderson, liked the post, while her brothers Shareef and Shaqir shared it.

Shaquille O'Neal's Full Praise For Daughter Me'Arah O'Neal

Shaq has been open about how impressed he is by Me'Arah's all-round game. Speaking on The Big Podcast, he said:

“My baby is the best athlete in the family because she can do it all. And, you know, she's not an old-school player. She's this new picking type player. So I'm going to go ahead and give her the title. She can shoot. She can dribble. I don't get emotional and cry a lot, but sometimes when I watch her play, I want to cry because I'm like, she's really good. So I'm happy for her. She makes me super, super proud. Like, I wasn't watching the game the other day, and my boy D-Mac came and said, ‘Man, baby killing.' So I saw some of the highlights, and she was, gee, like four or five threes. I was like, God d*mn. It actually made me get jealous,”

O'Neal spent her first two college seasons at Florida before transferring to Kentucky for 2026-27. The Wildcats are now 4-0 and are due to face Eastern Michigan on November 15.