Before winning NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, Shaquille O'Neal honed his skills at Louisiana State University. His son, Shareef O'Neal, has opted to follow his father's footsteps and attend LSU. However, O'Neal's younger son, Shaqir O'Neal, has decided to chart his own path. Shaqir O'Neal has committed to playing basketball at Texas Southern University in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. As a student at the HBCU, O'Neal will compete against respected institutions like Grambling State University, Prairie View A&M and Southern University.
"You can expect a lot of buckets," O'Neal said during a recent interview.
"I'm trying to get to the league."
At Texas Southern University, Shaqir O'Neal will be coached by a man who has known his father for quite a long time, Johnny Jones. As a young assistant under Dale Brown, Jones coached O'Neal during his time at LSU. He has since gone on to coach at the University of Memphis, the University of North Texas and Texas Southern University. Last season, Jones led the Tigers to a conference title and a March Madness appearance.
Shaqir O'Neal is not the first high-profile recruit to commit to an HBCU this spring. Last month, Percy "Master P" Miller's son, Hercy Miller, committed to play at Tennessee State University. Like O'Neal, Miller is also a three-star recruit. During his high school career, Miller played alongside future NBA Draft lottery picks Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren. At Tennessee State University, he will be paid well through a $2.5 million endorsement deal lined up by him and his father.
Both O'Neal and Miller will take the court for the first time at their respective schools in the fall. Texas Southern University is looking to defend its conference championship while Tennessee State University will look to bounce back from 4-19 season.
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