My dad is 7ft NBA icon worth $500m – now I’m on cusp of NCAA glory after March Madness setback

Me'Arah O'Neal has pretty huge shoes to fill on the basketball court.

As you can probably guess from her surname, the 18-year-old is the youngest daughter of NBA great Shaquille O'Neal.

Standing at 7ft tall, Shaq played for six teams during his near two-decade long professional career, winning four championships and three Finals MVPs.

He also boasts a ridiculous net worth of $500million, thanks to his television and entrepreneurial work post-NBA.

No pressure then, Me'Arah.

The teenager, though, has already emerged from her father's shadow to play college hoops and committed to the University of Florida in 2023.

She picked the Gators over a number of other teams, including her father's alma mater, LSU.

"I went on the Florida visit, and I had a feeling that's where I belonged, and that I was going to be most successful if I went to go play at Florida," Me'Arah said when announcing her decision.

"I felt like I connected with Coach Kelly more than I connected with any of the other schools that recruited me. She really cares about me not just on the court but off the court. That's important for me."

O'Neal's first season with the Gators has been a bit of a mixed bag.

The 6-foot-4 guard, who has started eight games, is averaging 4.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists in her freshman year, and her team have a record of 19-17.

But the Gators were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament by LSU earlier this month.

If they had won the competition, they would have been awarded an automatic bid to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

A 101-87 defeat to the Tigers meant that O'Neal and her teammates missed out on their March Madness dream.