Former NBA legend Jermaine O'Neal has a daughter who could be the next big thing in pro volleyball.
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The Pro Volleyball Federation — North America's premier women's professional volleyball league — conducted its inaugural player draft earlier this week. The draft's first overall selection (and new face of the Federation) has a familiar last name for Indiana Pacers fans.
Asjia O'Neal was selected with the first overall pick of the Pro Volleyball Federation Draft, by the Columbus Fury. O'Neal currently plays college volleyball for the Texas Longhorns, holds the Longhorns' career record with 594 total blocks, boasts over 900 career kills, and is the daughter of Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Pacers legend.
Although O'Neal wears #7 at Texas to honor her six-time NBA All Star father (who wore #7 for most of his NBA career), this is not an indication that Asjia O'Neal is living in her father's shadow. In fact, being the top pick of North America's premier professional volleyball league is only the most recent accomplishment O'Neal has amounted in her athletic career thus far.
During her Texas career, O'Neal led the Longhorns to a 2022 National Championship — and are also playing in the NCAA Women's Volleyball Final Four tonight, in a quest to go back-to-back — is a two-time AVCA First-Team All-American, and has won three straight first-team All-Big 12 honors. She is not only considered one of college volleyball's best players, but also one of the best Texas volleyball players of all time.
In addition to her time at Texas, O'Neal has played for the US Women's National Team, who is currently ranked third in the world and has already punched their ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Although what's most impressive about Asjia O'Neal's story is the battle she faced — and defeated — off of the court.
O'Neal was born with a heart condition called mitral valve leak, where the valve between heart chambers is not closed fully, causing blood to leak. The first issue she had with the condition came in 2013, soon after she began playing volleyball — and O'Neal ultimately had to have open-heart surgery to fix the issue.
Then O'Neal's condition worsened again in 2019, forcing her to have a second open-heart surgery on Jan. 14, 2020, while she was still at Texas. Upon making a full recovery, O'Neal was named the Honda Inspiration Award winner for her comeback in 2021.
Asjia O'Neal has already accomplished so much, both on and off the court. Now she'll have the opportunity to continue her volleyball career as a professional, as the new face of the Pro Volleyball Federation — that is, after her Texas squad's quest to repeat as champs concludes.
All of which surely has (and will continue to) make her father — who produced his own legendary athletic career — proud as can be.
