Shaqir O'Neal shares sweet throwback snap trying to score a bucket on father Shaquille O'Neal 

Shaqir O'Neal shared a throwback picture of himself being guarded by his dad, basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal, Instagram on Monday.

Shaqir O'Neal shares a throwback picture playing basketball with father Shaquille O'Neal.

Shaqir, a redshirt junior forward at Florida A&M, is the second youngest of Shaquille's six children. Four of the children have followed in their father's athletic footsteps, with Shaqir's older brother Shareef and older sister Amirah as well as his younger sister Me'arah also playing basketball at the collegiate level.

Shaqir is in his first season with the Rattlers, having transferred after three seasons at Texas Southern. The change in scenery seems to be paying off for Shaq's youngest son, who has made 10 starts for Florida A&M after only one start in each of the two seasons with the Tigers.

“I entered the portal to bet on myself. I had bad stats, averaged one point a game and had no other interest,” O’Neal told the Tallahassee Democrat. “Coach Pat (Crarey II) ran into my dad and brother and said he’s willing to take a chance on me. He came and checked me out during the summer. Coach Pat gave me an opportunity.”

NCAA Basketball: Florida A&M at Utah - Source: Imagn

Shaqir O'Neal making the most of his opportunity

His family name may have helped Shaqir O'Neal land a spot on the Florida A&M roster, but he has since proven his worth.

Shaq's namesake has increased his playing time from just 9.7 minutes per game for the Tigers last season to 19.5 minutes per game for the Rattlers. He's also upped his field-goal percentage from 33.3% to 51.% and is averaging 8.4 points per game as compared to 1.8 last season.

“Shaqir has played in one of the premier programs in our conference and for a great head coach,” FAMU coach Patrick Crarey II said when 'O'Neal first transferred. “He brings versatility, athleticism and experience to our team. I’m excited he chose me to help him achieve his goals.”

NCAA Basketball: Florida A&M at Utah - Source: Imagn

Crarey is also a newcomer to Florida A&M, currently in his first year as head coach after serving as the coach for St. Thomas University for three seasons. Just like Shaqir, Crarey is looking to rebuild and has done so successfully thus far. Although the Rattlers' 8-11 record is not wildly impressive, the team already has more wins than in the entirety of the 2023-24 season, which it finished 6-23.

At Florida A&M, Shaqir has improved in virtually every stat category except free-throw percentage. In his most recent outing, a 95-79 win over Alabama A&M, the forward recorded 12 points, his sixth double-digit game this season. He also shot a perfect percentage from both 3-point range and the free-throw line.

Shaqir is thriving in his first year with the Rattlers, and his recent IG story proves his dad's been teaching him these moves for years.