Taahirah O’Neal, the eldest daughter of Shaquille O’Neal, has officially joined the board of the Shaquille O’Neal Foundation, taking a leading role in the organization’s new Boys & Girls Club youth facility in Las Vegas.
In a recent Instagram post, she wrote:
“These past few months, the board and I have been busy behind the scenes — planning, dreaming, and laying the groundwork for what’s to come.”
The facility, which AFROTECH™ previously reported as a $16 million project, is now estimated at $24 million, Essentially Sports reports.
According to the outlet and Taahirah’s post, the Shaquille O’Neal Youth Development Complex, set to open in 2026, will span 30,000 square feet, providing children from kindergarten through high school with access to basketball, football, combat sports, mental wellness resources, and educational programs. Partners, including the Las Vegas Raiders and UFC, have contributed features such as a football field and a UFC gym. The complex will also include early learning centers, tech labs, and reportedly the first-ever Communities In Schools Alumni Center in the country.
“Visiting the future Shaquille O’Neal Youth Development Complex in Las Vegas was one of those surreal, full-circle moments,” Taahirah wrote. “Standing on the ground where thousands of kids will one day play, learn, and thrive was such a beautiful reminder of why we do this work.”
Taahirah, 29, graduated magna cum laude from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in politics and African American studies, according to Medium. She previously contributed her marketing expertise to Big Chicken and Pepsi, per Essentially Sports, and is now applying that experience to guide the foundation’s largest initiative to date.
Her move from Houston to Atlanta, as the outlet notes, allowed her to work more closely with her father, attending TNT broadcasts, “The Big Podcast” recordings, and promotional events before stepping fully into her foundation role.
“I’m so proud to help carry my father’s legacy forward while also building my own path in service,” she wrote on Instagram. “Let’s build.”
