$400 million worth Shaquille O’Neal’s company is suing his own son Shaqir O’Neal in an awkward family dispute

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the wealthiest individuals in the world of basketball.

The former NBA champ is one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. The former Lakers and Heat superstar is amongst the greatest to ever play the game. Such fame means that the value associated with his name is calculated in millions.

Shaq’s recognition has extended to his family too. Big Diesel’s children are also mini-celebrities with his son Shareef O’Neal even playing in the Lakers Summer League team and reportedly signing with the G League Ignite outfit.

Also read: Shareef O’Neal opens out about his heart surgery and the path that lead him to the NBA with the Lakers

His younger son Shaqir O’Neal has also been in the news for varying reasons, recently. Shaqir is committed to Texas Southern University and is seeking to make a path for himself to the NBA. Further, Shaq’s entrepreneur gene seems to have caught on to Shaqir too.

Shaqir has reportedly struck a six-figure deal to launch a collaborative clothing line with “boohooMAN”. Shaqir is certainly on the path to a successful career. However, a legal dispute involving Papa Shaquille has come as a hindrance to young Shaqir.

What is the legal dispute between the companies concerning Shaq and Shaqir?

Shaquille and Shaqir O’Neal are in the middle of a weird dispute involving their intellectual property. Shaqir had filed for his trademark “Shaqir O’Neal’ with the registry of Trademarks.

However, he met with a strange notice of opposition: from Authentic Brands Group. Why Authentic Brands Group, what is their involvement with a possible Shaqir O’Neal trademark?

Authentic Brands Group happens to hold all the rights to the name, images, and likeness of a particular celebrity who is also a shareholder in the company. A certain person called Shaquille O’Neal.

Well, this is awkward.

The company that owns Shaq’s trademarks (Authentic Brands Group) has opposed his son’s trademark filing for “SHAQIR O’NEAL.”

How on earth did this happen? #Shaq#Trademarks

A thread 🧵
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— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) July 19, 2022

And the reason for the opposition? The similarity in the word marks ‘Shaquille O’Neal’ and ‘Shaqir O’Neal’.

It’s no surprise that Shaq and his son share similar-sounding names. But is there a legal case that can be made?

For Authentic Brands Group, they have to show that there is a likelihood of the ‘Shaqir O’Neal’ mark creating confusion with their ‘Shaquille O’Neal’ mark. Shaqir has to disprove the same to prove his point.

With Shaq being indirectly involved in both companies, it is weird to think why this even happened. However it be, the opposition was filed on July 15, 2022. Shaqir O’Neal has about a month left to respond to the opposition.

Which O’Neal shall triumph in this legal dispute? Only time can tell.

Also read: “Shaq needs a 100 jump shots made!”: How the Big Diesel is preparing his son Shaqir O’Neal to be the best prospect in a few years