Laying out the guidelines! Although Shaquille O’Neal considers himself “more the friend than the disciplinarian” while raising his five kids, the athlete does have dating rules for his daughters.
They “can’t date until they’re 25,” the professional basketball player, 47, told Us Weekly exclusively on Monday, January 6, while promoting Krispy Kreme Mini Doughnuts available in chocolate glazed, strawberry sprinkles and chocolate sprinkles. When asked if Taahirah, 23, Amirah, 18, and Me’arah, 14, have broken that rule, the New Jersey native said, “Probably not.”
The Shaquille’s at L.A. Live owner, who shares his daughters with ex-girlfriend Arnetta Yardbourgh and ex-wife, Shaunie Nelson, explained, “I don’t really have a lot of rules. … The moms do a great job of yelling and raising them and doing all that stuff. I’m more of the guy that’s the settler. If my ex-wife tells my daughter, ‘You can’t have a boyfriend now,’ I would be the one to say, ‘Guys are crazy. Do this. You need to focus on your education. Learn a little bit about yourself before you start thinking about guys. I’m more like the buffer.”
When it comes to coparenting his daughters, as well as sons Shareef, 19, and Shaqir, 16, the NBA player prioritizes “listening” and “respect.” He gushed over how great Yardbourgh, 48, and Nelson, 45, are, telling Us, “They’re leaders, so I let them lead because you have to understand that women rule the world anyway. So you let them rule … [and] just show them support. Moms and mothers, they have the real jobs. So you have to show them honor, you have to show them respect.”
Because of that, O’Neal said, “Whatever they want, whatever they need, I just take care of it.”
The restaurateur, who owns a Big Chicken in Las Vegas and a Krispy Kreme in Atlanta, elaborated on this in March, defining “a man’s job” as protecting and providing. “That’s it,” he told Us at the time.
The TNT sports analyst’s children don’t think he’s cool, though, O’Neal told Us on Monday. “They don’t like when I try to kiss them when I drop them off,” he explained. “My girls used to kiss me all the time. I thought they would at least kiss me on the cheek forever. My youngest is now 14, and it just stopped last year. … The kisses are gone.”
With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
