April 4, 2026, 11:43 a.m. ET
Sacramento State forward Shaqir O’Neal – yes, the son of Shaq – won the College Slam Dunk Championship on Friday, April 3, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis before the Men’s Final Four.
Shaqir O’Neal, wearing his dad’s “Shaq” shoe brand, elbow-dunked over two fellow players and threw down a reverse on his final attempt to secure the win over Central Connecticut’s Nico Ashley. He finished with two 50-point scores, the highest total possible on a single dunk.
“Dad, I know you’re watching this,” Shaqir O’Neal said after his win. “You said you have ($10,000) for me if I win this. So, hey, I’m expecting my money. Shoutout to my pops.”
DePaul’s CJ Gunn won the men’s 3-point contest and Kansas’ Elle Evans won the women’s 3-point contest. Evans also took home two more awards, winning the team shooting competition alongside Purdue’s Fletcher Loyer and Portland State’s Jaylin Henderson before defeating Gunn in the 3-point shootout between champions.
Shaqir O’Neal averaged 5.3 points with 3.2 rebounds per game this season at Sacramento State. The 6-foot-8 forward started his career at Texas Southern, where he held a small role off the bench for two seasons before transferring to Florida A&M in 2024-25.
Shaqir O’Neal plays for his dad’s former Sacramento Kings foe Mike Bibby, who served his first year as Sacramento State head coach this season.
“It’s been an unreal experience,” Shaqir O’Neal told USA TODAY Sports. “Coach Bibby and his staff, they really care about the players, just on and off the court. They made sure they built that relationship with us early in the summer. It’s really been a movie with all the press and all this stuff. And haters and this and that. And the ups and downs. Us losing players to injuries, like it’s been real, it’s been crazy, but it’s been a great learning experience.”
Four of Shaquille O’Neal’s children played Division I college basketball, including sons Shaqir O’Neal and Shareef O’Neal (UCLA, LSU), and daughters Amirah O’Neal, a former preferred walk-on at LSU and Me’Arah O’Neal, who averaged over 13 points per game at Florida this season.
None of Shaq’s children turned out to be nearly as good as their Hall of Fame dad that won four NBA championships. But Shaqir O’Neal sure can dunk like his dad could, although no backboards were shattered.
Shaqir O’Neal college dunk contest highlights
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