Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shaqir, shares 2-word reaction as Tyrese Haliburton secures thrilling win over New York

Sacramento State Hornets transferee Shaqir O'Neal, the son of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, was in attendance for Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday.

Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton made a dramatic game-tying 3-pointer that forced overtime in the heart-stopping affair. Shaqir posted on his Instagram story a picture of Haliburton when he had famously used Indiana legend Reggie Miller's choke celebration after hitting the most important shot of the night.

"What Tha," O'Neal wrote.

Shaqir IG (image credits: @shaqironeall on Instagram)

Shaqir had also shared some snaps of pre-game moments on his Instagram story, specifically Haliburton warming up, and Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns on the free throw line.

"What tha," he captioned.

Shaqir (image credits: @shaqironeall on Instagram)

Shaqir O'Neal and the rest of the Madison Square Garden crowd was treated to an intense Game 1 between the Knicks and the Pacers, which ended in a wild comeback from Haliburton and Co. Led by fifth-year standout Aaron Nesmith, Indiana completed a 14-point comeback to force overtime before stealing the away victory.

Haliburton finished with 31 points on 12-of-23 overall shooting, four rebounds, 11 assists and a steal in 42 minutes as the 2024-25 Pacers become the first team in NBA history to win after trailing by at least nine points in the final minute of a playoff game since 1998.

Shaqir O'Neal will play for the Sacramento State Hornets in the 2025-26 season

On April 3, Shaqir O'Neal announced that he committed for the Sacramento State Hornnets for the 2025-26 season after spending his junior year with the Florida A&M Rattlers. He will join a squad coached by NBA legends Mike Bibby, as well as Shaqir's father, Shaquille, who has been appointed as a voluntary GM.

Four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal agreed to become the Hornets' voluntary general manager, per renowned reporter Shams Charania, on April 28.

In the 2024-25 campaign, Sacramento State finished with an overall 7-25 record, 3-15 in Big Sky conference play. The program is yet to make the NCAA national tournament.

About the author

Koby del Rosario is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda who took up BS in Advertising Management at De La Salle University, one of the big "four" universities in the Philippines. Koby has over four years of experience with Complex PH, M2.0 Communications, The LaSallian, Daily Tribune, and Time Attack Manila.

Koby's favorite college team would have to be the North Carolina Tar Heels. Apart from being MJ's alma mater, Koby has always been fond of the Jordan silhouettes that release in the school's colors (being a sneakerhead himself).

His past favorite college players would have to be Russell Westbrook (UCLA) and Markelle Fultz (Washington). With Russ, his 1-2 punch with Kevin Love during their UCLA days was something Koby marveled at as Russ became his favorite player to watch post-Kobe.

Besides playing basketball, Koby enjoys nightlife, collecting sneakers, and playing video games. Apart from hosting parties and taking pictures for parties/bars/clubs, Koby is learning to DJ as a hobby with all sorts of house and hip-hop as the main genres.

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Edited by Bhargav