Lucille O’Neal

Newark, New Jersey

Author and Philanthropist

As a kid, Lucille O’Neal attended the Boys Clubs of Newark, N.J. Today, she is a celebrated author and mother. After raising four children, she returned to school, earning a business degree in 2003 and a master’s degree in 2005. She founded the Mothers of Professional Basketball Players, which supports youth-serving organizations such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida. She has helped Boys & Girls Clubs of America with initiatives addressing hunger, literacy and family strengthening. Her son, basketball great Shaquille O’Neal, was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame in 2000.