Shareef O’Neal is one of the most intriguing players in basketball. The son of Hall of Famer, Shaquille O’Neal, Shareef currently plays for the G League Ignite. Recently, he made an appearance on the Now For Later podcast, where he discussed a variety of topics. One of which included his choice to pursue basketball as a career. A career path that, as he revealed, his parents, Shaq and Shaunie O’Neal were opposed to him going down. Rather, they would prefer if he became a doctor or a lawyer.
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At the age of 23, Shareef’s journey to the NBA has been less than ideal. Having first started playing for the UCLA Bruins, health conditions forced him to take a break from basketball. He then moved to the LSU Tigers, where he spent the next two years before declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft. Unfortunately, he went undrafted, but he is now working toward the NBA by playing with the Ignite.
Shareef O’Neal reveals that Shaquille O’Neal and Shaunie O’Neal were opposed to him playing basketball
Having recently sat down for an interview with his G League Ignite teammate Eric Mika, Shareef O’Neal revealed a lot about his life. He spoke about a number of things. This included his childhood, growing up as the son of Shaquille O’Neal, his heart surgery, his life in college, and his NBA pursuits.
One of the other things he also touched upon was how he found basketball. He revealed that he tried out every possible sport growing up, and was a good football player. But, his height and the fact that he often got tackled at the knees made him continue with basketball.
However, his parents, both Shaq and Shaunie weren’t too keen on him taking up the sport. When asked if he was forced to play basketball because of his legendary father, Shareef revealed that it was quite the opposite. His parents believed that the O’Neal household didn’t require another basketball player, and instead needed doctors and lawyers.
“They always told us the family doesn’t need another basketball player. We need doctors, lawyers, and all that. But, if you wanna play basketball go ahead. They’re like, ‘Whatever you do, we’re gonna support. Just make sure you’re taking it serious and having fun, and you know…making a good living out of it!’ So, growing up I tried everything!”
As things stand, Shareef is going down the basketball career path. And, while he isn’t in the NBA, he is only 23 and still has a long way to go in his career. Hopefully, we will see him playing for an NBA team very soon.
Shaq once likened Shareef to Giannis Antetokounmpo but with a jump shot
Shaquille O’Neal has always been an avid supporter of his son Shareef O’Neal. Confident in his son’s skills, Shaq knew that his son was an NBA-caliber player from a young age. In fact, he once likened Shareef to Giannis Antetokounmpo. He claimed, that his son was just like the Greek Freak, but with a jump shot.
“What people don’t know is, I know, I have a Giannis with a jump shot. That’s how I raised him. I have a Giannis Antetokounmpo with a jump shot, but people don’t know. So, hopefully, he gets to go to a place where he can showcase his talent, so people can see who he really is.”
As things stand, Shareef is yet to live up to these lofty expectations. But, as mentioned earlier, he is still new to the whole NBA scene. And, given the right team, he may just become the player his father envisioned.
