Being the son of an NBA player can bring a lot of pressure on young players that are trying to find their way into the league, but being the son of one of the greatest ever to do it is a whole different ballgame. For Shareef O’Neal, the son of Shaquille O’Neal, his talent is yet to be recognized at the collegiate level, and he has recently decided to make a big move in service of that.
Shareef will be leaving the LSU team, where he averaged 2.9 points across 14 games and will enter the NCAA’s Transfer Portal in the hope of finding the right program to help him blossom. A 4-star recruit out of high school, O’Neal has the potential to make it at the highest level and, while they share a humorous relationship online, has the support from his father to make it happen.
Speaking on ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq’, the Big Diesel heaped the highest praise on his son, comparing him to arguably the greatest player in the NBA right now, the reigning Finals MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“I hope wherever he goes, he gets his shot. Because what people don’t know is, I know I’ve got a Giannis with a jump shot, that’s a high ratio. I have a Giannis Antetokounmpo with a jump shot, but people don’t know. So hopefully he gets to go where he gets to showcase his talent to you know people to see who he really is.”
Shaq went on to explain Shareef’s decision and his college journey so far a bit more, explaining that his son has had some bad luck so far.
“Wherever he decides to go, I’m behind him. He’s a grown man, making a decision. He’s kind of had a lot of, would say basketball bad luck. So went to Arizona, had to switch up.
“We went to UCLA because Steve Alford was gonna be there, but he gets transferred, new guy comes in. And then we go to LSU where I thought they’d take care of him, but they didn’t, they had their own problems on their side.”
Shareef is now 22 and will be hoping his next destination can allow him to showcase his talents so he can enter the NBA sooner rather than later. If he can harness even a fraction of the work ethic and determination Giannis has shown throughout his career, Shaq’s son will be plying his trade in the NBA soon enough.
