Shaquille O’Neal changed the course of his life and the lives of all his loved ones when he became an NBA player. Becoming a player in the league fills a player’s pockets with cash very quickly, which means these players have to mature incredibly early and be able to manage not only their finances but how they help out the people around them.
This is why many people aspire to be NBA players to get them out of poor life situations, as the league is a ticket to living a nicer life. Shaq started living a great life after he earned his money but had to be responsible for it to raise his family.
His sons are basketball players but haven’t been gifted with the same ability that Shaq had. As a result, their college careers have been unremarkable. Shaq’s 22-year-old son Shareef is entering the 2022 NBA Draft, something that the ‘Big Diesel’ was not happy about according to what Shareef told ESPN.
Shareef O’Neal reveals that his dad wanted him to stay in school and not enter the NBA Draft.
Shareef added, although his dad may not want him to share this in public, “I’m a grown man. I’m 22-years-old. I can make my own decisions.”
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“We kind of bump heads about this process. He wanted me to stay in school. I wanted to better myself through this. He knows I’m working out with teams. But I’m not going to lie, we ain’t talked about this. I’m kind of just going through it. He didn’t do any pre-draft workouts; he just got straight on the Magic, so it’s a different grind. So, he didn’t want me to do this, and I know he probably doesn’t want me saying this, but sorry. We’re both grown, we’ll get past it.”
It is surprising to hear that Shaq hasn’t endorsed Shareef’s move towards playing pro basketball. Shaq has said in interviews before that he wants his kids to be college graduates, so that could be the reason he is upset at Shareef leaving for the NBA Draft.
Hopefully, the father and son duo can hash it out over a conversation before Thursday’s draft. Shaq would be a great mentor for Shareef if he makes it into the league.
