In his powerful new Netflix series Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal delivers a sobering yet heartfelt message to his son Shareef O’Neal, and to every young player dreaming of greatness in professional basketball.
In a candid exchange that has quickly gone viral, Shaq doesn’t hold back as he explains just how much sacrifice the game demands, drawing from his own life as a blueprint for both success and loss.
Shareef O’Neal: “Been looking good, been talking to the coaches and all that.”
Shaquille O’Neal: “You training?”
Shareef O’Neal: “Yeah, every day.”
Shaquille O’Neal: “You trying to go to training camp?”
Shareef O’Neal: “Yeah. Actually, I got invited to try out for the Kings.”
Shaquille O’Neal: “Alright, but you know we don’t need basketball. I’ve been around this game since eighty-nine, buddy. I’ve seen it all. You gotta understand that in that life, you know you have to give everything up, right? How many birthday parties did I miss?”
Shareef O’Neal: “A lot.”
Shaquille O’Neal: “How many school plays did I miss?”
Shareef O’Neal: “A lot.”
Shaquille O’Neal: “How many times did you wake up and not see me there?”
Shareef O’Neal: “A lot.”
“My dad missed birthdays, games, you know, Christmas. I respect it now. I know when I was a kid, you know, we always used to ask, is your dad going to be here? We kind of knew that, okay, he’s playing basketball, he’s busy. I know every NBA player by the family misses a lot of things. I think that’s what they can go through.”
Shaquille O’Neal: “Are you ready to live that life? Because if you want to be great, my man, you’ve got to sacrifice everything. I’ve lost a family trying to be great.”
“It’s great at the end because I can help you all become great, but you’ve got to make sure this is really what you want. Because if you’re not going to put a thousand percent into it, I say let’s just take Reebok over and get us back to number one.”
“I don’t want him to play because it will be unfortunate for him that they will compare him to me, similar to what Bronny James is going through now. Unfair to him, and I don’t really want him to go through that.”
“What he doesn’t realize about me is I was crazy. Basketball’s the only thing I cared about. It did jeopardize our relationship a little bit, and I don’t want him to ever have to live like that. Everything comes back to the O’Neal name.”
Shareef O’Neal: “It’s a blessing that people are expecting great things out of me just because of the family I come from, so I’ve got to look at it in that way. I think he kind of understands what being in your young twenties is about.”
“It’s decision-making and learning what you want to do, learning where you fit in. I’m going to try out for the team, and if they offer me a spot, then I’ve got a lot to think about. I don’t really have a plan B.”
This admission, raw and reflective, paints a more complete picture of what it takes to become a Hall of Famer. Shaq isn’t just a four-time NBA champion or one of the most dominant forces in league history; he’s also a man who understands the weight of his choices.
And now, watching his son walk that same path, he feels the burden of wanting to protect him from both the pressure of comparisons and the price of obsession.
For Shareef, the pressure is real, living in the shadow of an icon and carrying the O’Neal name in every gym, every game, every conversation.
But the path has been rough. Shareef’s NBA journey remains unfinished. After going undrafted, he’s bounced around Summer League rosters and briefly signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Kings in October 2024.
He was soon waived and joined the Stockton Kings, their G League affiliate. Unfortunately, he didn’t make the final roster there either.
Still, the message stands: greatness in the NBA demands more than talent. It demands time, commitment, sacrifice, and sometimes even the things we value most. Shaquille O’Neal lived it and now, as he watches his son chase that same dream, he’s making sure Shareef understands the cost before paying the price.
