The O’Neal family’s penchant for pranks is well known. Naturally, it starts with Shaquille O’Neal, who has been pulling people’s legs since his playing days and continues to do so at TNT’s Studio J. But as they say, the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.
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Shaq’s sons enjoy catching their 7-foot dad off guard as well with their practical jokes. Whether it’s Myles O’Neal stuffing Cheetos into his sleeping father’s mouth or Shareef O’Neal trying to surprise his dad from the crowd, the Diesel’s sons are always trying to one-up their old man.
Recently, Shareef tried to test his father’s observational skills. He showed up at Atlanta’s Studio J, where the TNT crew films their nightly program, and tried to blend into the crowd to surprise his dad later on.
“Guys I’m on the TNT set. My dad doesn’t even know I’m here. Let’s see how long it takes for him to notice me. I’m literally standing right in front of him,” Shareef was seen saying in the video he recorded for the prank.
Towards the end of the ‘Inside the NBA’ program, the 25-year-old tried to holler at Shaq, only to realize that the big fella had already noticed him in the crowd. Before Shareef could even finish his sentence, the four-time NBA Champion shot a quick nod at him to come see him in the back.
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Clearly, the Diesel’s vision is still elite after years of retirement. Then again, Shareef is 6’10” and was probably the only crowd member at Shaq’s eye level, making him somewhat hard to miss.
Nonetheless, it’s the intent that counts. And it’s always fun when the O’Neal family’s playfulness is on display, especially considering the level of scrutiny they have grown up under.
Shareef O’Neal has been in the public eye since a young age
Shareef followed his father’s path quite closely. He was born in Los Angeles in 2000, right around the time his father was establishing his legacy with a three-peat.
Until his teenage years, Shareef preferred the skateboard to the basketball, but he began taking the game more seriously in middle school. However, despite being a youngster trying to hone his craft, he wasn’t spared from the scrutiny that comes with the O’Neal name.
“I had an early [AAU] game. It wasn’t that packed, but I see a guy under the hoop with a camera. It’s a little small camera, I didn’t think anything of it. And I wake up a few days later, this video has like 11 million views on YouTube, and it’s like, ‘Shaq’s 15-year-old son,’” Shareef shared during a podcast appearance last year.
“So, I would say when I was about 15. That was when things really started to… be considered pressure.”
It’s certainly difficult to deal with millions of eyes perceiving you and your growth at such a young age. Despite the pressure, Shareef learned to handle it well and took his time to improve his game in college.
He played 4 seasons of NCAA basketball and followed it up in 2022 with a season playing for the Sacramento Kings’ G League team.
