Shareef O’Neal has finally made inroads into playing professional basketball after an incredibly challenging couple of years that saw him deal with heart disease and still make his way to the NBA Summer League with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers chose not to bring O’Neal back for training camp, and he has since signed a contract with the G League Ignite.
It is incredible to see O’Neal actually make it to playing pro basketball after his health issues, but not many look at Shareef as a major talent after his failure to impress the Lakers enough for a contract during Summer League.
7-time NBA Champion and former Laker Robert Horry has commented on Shareef’s burgeoning basketball career. Sadly, Horry didn’t have anything positive to say about Shareef, saying that he wanted to call Shaq and tell him that his son can’t keep playing off the ‘O’Neal name’.
“I picked up my phone and I was getting ready to call Shaq like ‘Yo man, you gotta tell your son…he can’t be playing off the damn O’Neal name. He gotta go out there and play.’ You gotta put forth some more effort man. You know Shareef’s such a nice kid, that I don’t know if he has that dog in him to go out there and take what he wants.”
Not only is Horry an NBA legend, but he was also teammates with Shaq, so this comment has got to hurt Shareef. Veterans saying negative things about young players is often a massive blow to their confidence, so it’ll be interesting to see how Shareef responds to this criticism.
The best way Shareef can vindicate himself is by making a strong impression in the upcoming G League season. Considering the hefty contract he signed, it’ll be crucial for Shareef to deliver on those expectations to keep his NBA dream alive.
