Does Shaquille O’Neal have a new baby? Viral new daughter claim debunked

A new rumor about Shaquille O’Neal’s personal life has been making the rounds on social media. 

Recently, a popular Instagram account, Industry On Blast (@theindustryonblastofficial), claimed that the former LA Lakers star had a new baby with a woman named Kay. The viral post featured a clip of Shaquille O’Neal with a toddler, with the following caption: 

“Did y’all know that #SHAQ has a new baby with this lovely girl named KAY!! 💕💕💕 the baby is precious and we like to see present fathers in the lives of their babies!!!”

The video originated from another Instagram handle, @kayyourstruly, that tagged a private account of Shaqirah O’Neal (@shaqirahoneal), Shaq’s alleged daughter.

The rumors also sparked discussions on the Lipstick Alley forum, with many discussing the former basketball player’s private life. 

However, despite the viral claims, Shaquille O’Neal has not announced the birth of a new daughter.

While the social media post claims that Shaqirah is Shaq’s secret child, the former Miami Heat center jokingly mentioned Shaqirah as his girlfriend's name. The father of six’s youngest child is 19-year-old Me'arah O'Neal, a baller like Shaquille. 

Thus, the claims of Shaq having a new daughter are false.

Shaquille O’Neal previously denied the girlfriend rumors in a hilarious Instagram post

The ex-Boston Celtics star’s relationship status has remained a part of various online speculations.

In September 2024, new rumors emerged around Shaquille O’Neal’s dating life, when an Instagram user named Maria Ozuna Teachey posted a selfie with someone who appeared to be the former NBA pro. 

After the viral post, many started talking about Shaq’s relationship status. The basketball player-turned-analyst also took to his Instagram to address the rumors.

In a post, Shaquille O’Neal shared multiple pictures with supposedly his female fans. In each photo, Shaq’s pose was similar to that in the viral image featuring Maria Ozuna Teachey. 

O’Neal captioned the post: 

“Is this my girlfriend too, trust me I’ll let yall know who my woman is” 

He added: 

“And by the way my woman name is Shaqirah”

In March 2025, Jess Hilarious claimed that Shaquille O’Neal had four white girlfriends, with whom he stayed in a live-in relationship at his residence.

The 53-year-old later sarcastically addressed the claim during an It’s Giving podcast appearance. 

The host, Sarah Fontenot, mentioned her feet being a little ashy after Shaq jokingly asked her to put on shoes. O’Neal also made a sarcastic request referencing Jess Hilarious’ claims and said: 

“I need you to do me a favor. I need you to back up. I don’t want my four white women to get upset.”

While elsewhere during the podcast, Shaq again joked about being with four white girls, the host asked him his opinion on polyamory.

The ex-NBA star confessed that it would be nice on the player's side, but his favorite woman, i.e., his mother, would not be happy with such a relationship.