Entertainment
Shaquille O’Neal’s no-nonsense ultimatums on his daughters dating are almost as strict as his policy of driving his sons out of the house
Shaquille O’Neal has completely different dating rules for his sons and daughters. The NBA star, who has three biological children with media mogul Shaunie Henderson and his eldest daughter from a previous relationship with businesswoman Arnetta Yardbourgh, has long been a vocal advocate of allowing his sons to begin dating once they turn 18, but barring his daughters from dating until they are around 20 . age. He now added that his girls, Taahirah, Amirah and Me’arah, aged 27, 22 and 17 respectively, cannot bring the boy home until they complete their master’s degrees.
On the March 20 episode of “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” Shaquille O’Neal discussed the dating restrictions he placed on his six children with Bert Kreischer.
– How many children do you’ve got, Bert? – Shaq asked his guest.
The comedian replied that he had two girls who were 17 and 19 years old.
The former Los Angeles Lakers star then asked, “What are your dating rules?” Kreischer quickly said, “Zero. I even have no policy; I’m powerless. They do whatever they need. I just want them to be completely happy.
He continued, “I don’t want them bringing home a fan,” before telling Shaq, “I’m sure you feel the same way with your kids.”
However, the Hall of Fame center was clear that he would not have that problem because his daughters would not be dating boys at the moment.
“You’re a better dad than me,” the Newark resident began, before sharing his words with his two youngest daughters, Amirah and Me’arah.
“Don’t bring boys to my house unless you have a master’s degree,” Shaq said. “I don’t want to see them at all.”
The 52-year-old then stated that if his daughters brought home a boy, irrespective of how polite, “he would f**k it up.”
Shaq admits that if his daughter’s potential date got here with a three-piece suit, well-tailored and a master’s degree, he could be “impressed,” but then he would have one query he could ask to find out whether the boy was real or “shy.” like at the starting of his profession.
Shaq needs a solution to an easy query: “What are you trying to do?”
The restrictions imposed by the player-turned-commentator were widely commented on on social media.
“I’m with @SHAQ. Anyone who wants thus far my daughters must provide references and never do anything silly,” one person wrote.
I’m with @SHAQ Anyone who wants thus far my daughters must provide references and never do anything silly https://t.co/V2mlIDdzAu
— WASSUP BLACK MAN (@_skipcarter) March 22, 2024
A YouTube commenter explained why Shaq and Kreischer’s parenting styles are so different. “They raise their daughters differently because they treat women differently than men,” they wrote.
Shaq’s dating moods are no secret to fans who follow the NBA veteran’s life off the court. Earlier in 2018, while a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he shared the dating rules he put in place for his children. According to Shaq, he made these demands to make sure the primary focus was on learning and to reduce distractions.
“Well, my sons can date when they’re 18 and my daughters can date when they’re 24,” O’Neal told the comedian, who responded by saying his policy seemed unfair.
“Well, you are right; it isn’t fair, but my daughters are much smarter than my boys and I need them to at all times be focused,” he explained. “I need them to comprehend, ‘Hey, you’ve got to be completely happy in yourself.’ You don’t actually need anyone to make you completely happy. You can do your thing.
When Ellen asked what would occur if one of his daughters brought home a boyfriend, just like his response on his latest podcast episode, the 7-foot-1, 350-pound giant said it would not be pretty.
“I look forward to it. I will torture him,” he said.
“The first thing I need to let this guy know is that all these little things you think you’re doing, I made up. And all these little things like going to the movies and starting to do things like that, I did all that,” he added, “So I even have to let him know that I do know what he’s pondering. Just really torture him. Torture him hard.
Some on Platform X thought Shaq’s demands were silly.
“My sons can date when they are 18 and my daughters can date when they are 24 if Shaq doesn’t do it…” the critic wrote on Twitter.
“My sons can date when they are 18 and my daughters can date when they are 24” if Shaq doesn’t do it…. pic.twitter.com/QQrprHw9nn
— Ube Pudding Lover (@_leahE) June 12, 2018
Taahira O’Neal, Shaq’s firstborn and oldest daughter, turned 24 and recently revealed that she is actively dating. Taahirah graduated cum laude from Oglethorpe University in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in politics and African-American studies, and despite the fact that she doesn’t have a master’s degree, she’s ready to search out a person.
The 27-year-old shared the news on the “Do I Know You” podcast, explaining that she has little interest in athletes like her famous father.
“I’m dating now. No offense to athletes, but I was raised by athletes, this is unacceptable to me. It does not make sense. Keep it up everyone, be respectful,” Taahirah said, stating that the grind was an excessive amount of based on her experience with one of the best basketball players in the world. She said she needed a partner who was far more thoughtful than the competitor.
Shaq’s gender policy with his children doesn’t just extend to dating. While he’s stricter with his daughters than his sons on the subject of once they can date, on the subject of funds and residential life, Shaq has stricter guidelines for his sons: Shareef, 24, and Shaqir, 20 ). Myles, 26, is Shaunie Henderson’s son from a previous relationship, although Shaq treated him as his own.
In 2021, he told Earn Your Leisure to access his share net price of almost $500 millionthere are guidelines they have to follow. “My children are older now. They got just a little upset with me. Not too upset, but they do not understand. I tell them this all the time. We are not wealthy. I’m wealthy.”
“You have to have a bachelor’s or master’s degree, and if you want me to invest in one of your companies, you’re going to have to present it, boom, boom, boom, bring it to me,” he continued. “I’ll let you know, I won’t give you anything.”
“We’re not rich, I’m rich,” Shaq says deep like Furious in Boyz N Da Hood. pic.twitter.com/Nf9nZ2tKkZ
— Armando Tam (@Titosmundo) October 22, 2021
A yr earlier, while a guest on “The Pivot Podcast,” Shaq told the hosts that his sons “have to go” once they turn 18 and that his three daughters are allowed to “stay as long as they want.”
“I tell my boys that while you all turn 18, you all must go. The girls can stay as long as they need,” Shaq said, adding that he would invest financially in his sons’ business ventures but wouldn’t donate to them.
Once again, his stance sparked strong reactions on social media.
“I listened to Shaq talk about how he’s rich and his kids aren’t,” one person said. “When they turn 18, they must earn all the things. He said he would not “give them anything” but would put money into their business or company in the event that they had a very good marketing strategy. But they are only sons. He said his daughters were fantastic, lol.
I listened to Shaq speak about how he was wealthy and his kids weren’t. When they turn 18, they must earn all the things. He said he would not “give them anything” but would put money into their business or company in the event that they had a very good marketing strategy.
But they are only sons. He said daughters are good, lol
— Doctor Snake (@doctorserpente) August 8, 2021
Another person wrote on Twitter: “The culture is the other way up. Shaq said he doesn’t give anything to his sons, but he’ll take care of his daughters. Now the girls look good and the boys look caught. The girl now thinks that no man can equal her and that she is healthier than she actually is, even higher than him.
Culture is the other way around. Shaq said he doesn’t give anything to his sons, but he’ll take care of his daughters. Now the girls look good and the boys look caught.
The girl now thinks that no man can equal her and that she is healthier than she actually is, even higher than him
— Father Todd III, JD (@realtoddbillion) June 23, 2021
Another commenter compared Shaq’s parenting style to the relationship between Dr. Dre and his daughter LaTanya Young, who revealed in 2021 that she was homeless and living out of a automobile.
Shaq will make all his sons earn a share of his fortune. moreover, it teaches them responsibility for acquiring their very own goods. his daughter can also be 38 years old. she must have made a profession out of her blessings and stopped keeping off her father’s attacks,” they wrote on Twitter.
Shaq will make all his sons earn a share of his fortune. moreover, it teaches them responsibility for acquiring their very own goods. his daughter can also be 38 years old. she should make a profession out of her blessings and stop keeping off her father’s attacks. https://t.co/4R7ip2DOCO
— MarioGang4L (@carlos_3times) August 5, 2021
One person said Shaq’s unwavering view could trigger a backlash.
“Shaq’s sons will be stealing crab legs from the grocery store while his daughter tweets about broke n-s,” user X wrote.
Shaq’s sons gonna steal crab legs from the food market while his daughter tweets about broke niggas
— Lance (@CashflowinLP) July 19, 2021