There was a small murmur as the hooded figure entered the King Drew gym alone on Saturday. He walked quietly from the door to the locker room. Spectators in the stands began deliberating.
“Is that?”
“I think that was…”
“Is he playing today?”
“Wait, which son is that?”
When he emerged for warmups, the suspicions were answered. Shaqir O’Neal, the youngest son of NBA legend Shaquille, was taking the court for Dawg Pound, coached by his uncle, in Week 7 of the Drew League. His addition helped a 81–76 victory over the Reapers.
“The eyes come with the territory, with my name,” O’Neal said. “I try not to let myself get carried away. I just want to hoop.”
Shaqir is the most unassuming hooper in the O’Neal family. His older brother, Shareef, was a four-star recruit at Crossroads High in Los Angeles before a heart condition altered his path. After a winding college career that ended at LSU, he’s bounced around the G League.
Shaqir’s journey has been even quieter. A three-star prospect out of Union Grove High in Georgia, he averaged just 1.5 points over two seasons at Texas Southern, then bumped it to 6.7 after transferring to Florida A&M. This spring, he committed to Sacramento State for his final year.
He was the quiet beginning of a renaissance in California’s capital.
Weeks later, the school named his father general manager of the basketball program. “Shaq State” was born. The Hornets then promptly announced their move up to the Big West Conference in 2025, with reported hopes of getting to the Pac-12 soon.
Then came Mikey Williams — an internet sensation with millions of followers in high school, whose college career hasn’t matched the hype, followed by a wave of high-major transfers.
The football program followed suit, hiring respected UNLV offensive coordinator Brennan Marion as its new head coach. It also landed Jaden Rashada, a former top-10 quarterback recruit whose high-profile journey included NIL chaos, a stop at Arizona State, and a shoulder injury that stalled his freshman year. He transferred to Georgia but never saw the field.
Suddenly, Sacramento State had a movement. CBS Sports reported the school had raised $50 million in NIL funding.
And Shaqir — quietly, improbably — was the first piece of its new, ambitious era.
“We didn’t have everybody brought in for no reason,” he said. “We brought everyone in to make a difference.”
In all of men’s college basketball, Sacramento State now has the two players with the largest Instagram followings. Shaqir (781k) and Williams (3.2M) have had eyes on them for years. That notoriety comes with expectations neither has fully met.
Williams has had over a million followers since his freshman year of high school. His college career never quite took off — first derailed by legal trouble at Memphis, then by injuries at UCF.
Now both he and O’Neal have a shot at redemption at one of the country’s fastest-growing programs.
“We’re telling each other, ‘we got to lock in and take this serious,’” O’Neal said. “We haven’t had the college career we wanted, so this is the chance to change that.”
While his father was one of the game’s most boisterous stars, Shaqir’s performance mirrored his entrance. He quietly came off the bench, played tough defense, moved the ball, and scored six points in the win.
There was no announcement, no grand reveal — just a quiet return to the floor.
He doesn’t need to beckon the spotlight.
His name does that for him.
Shaqir isn’t the face of a title contender or the loudest voice in the room. But in Sacramento, he represents something foundational: a new kind of belief.
He didn’t need to take over the game — he just needed to prove something to himself. A name doesn’t guarantee success, but he’s not asking it to.
He’s just here to get better.
“I’m just trying to be as productive as I can,” he said. “I’m just here to work on the things I need to get better at.”
Notes from the Drew League and Women’s Drew League
- Former Mayfair High, five-star recruit in 2020, Josh Christopher, was in attendance for O’Neal’s game. Christopher is now on a two-way contract with the Miami Heat, splitting time between the NBA and the Heat’s G-League affiliate, Sioux Falls Skyforce.
- Problems finished the regular season 6-1 and in first place in the Horace Wormley division. Arizona Commit out of Roosevelt High Brayden Burries 29 points and 10 rebounds led the way as they beat reigning champs Cheaters, 92-86.
- What Now got its first win of the season, beating Black Pearl Elite 90-77.
- GCU guard Alyssa Durazo-Frescas of Unidsputed Legends hit six threes to beat the defending Womens Drew League champs Gage 71-58. She finished the NCAA season shooting 46.4% from three-point range—second best in the nation—while leading the country in threes per game (3.88), ranking second in makes (124) and third in attempts (267).
Scores from the weekend
Can’t Buy Respect 78, All In Elite 72
Hometown Favorites 79, Jedi 77
Problems 92, Cheaters 86
Dawg Pound 81, Reapers 76
What Now 90, B.P.E 77
I-Can All Stars 90, Elevate 83
JIM 86, Cititeam Blazers 82
Women’s Drew League
Lights Out 64, TNSS 50
Lady Jedi 68, Remix 60
Pasadena Elite 78, What Now 67
Undisputed Legends 71, Gage 58