Shaquille O’Neal’s Son Shareef Cheers on DeAndre Ayton Preparing With Bahamas for the Olympics

Prateek Singh | 24/06/2024
Shaquille O'Neal's Son Shareef Cheers on DeAndre Ayton Preparing With Bahamas for the Olympics

The Paris Olympics are about to start in about a month. So, all the national basketball teams who will participate have gotten together to figure out team combinations and strategies for the global event. Some other teams are yet to go through the qualifying process for the Olympics. Recently, DeAndre Ayton was seen practicing with the Bahamas national team as they’re gearing up for a qualifying tournament.

Apart from his countrymen who will be cheering for him, Ayton has another person rooting for him: Shaquille O’Neal’s son, Shareef O’Neal. The 24-year-old recently shared a picture of the Bahamian player from his scrimmage with the national team on his Instagram story. Ayton uploaded several images from his practice session on his IG profile with the caption, “Deuce four boys back spinnin again.”

The Portland Trail Blazers center looks pumped for the opportunity to represent his team in the upcoming qualifying tournament. Bahamas will be one of the six teams to participate alongside Angola, Finland, Lebanon, Poland, and Spain. The six-team qualifying tournament will be held in Valencia, Spain in the first week of July. If Bahamas manages to emerge on top against some powerful teams, they’ll get a chance to represent their country in Paris.

Fans were also treated to Klay Thompson practicing with the Bahamian national team for their preparation for the Olympics. The Golden State Warriors star sparked speculations with the sight because fans thought at first that he would be playing for another country.

Klay Thompson, Buddy Hield, and more were seen at the Bahamian camp

After closing out a disappointing season with the Warriors, Thompson is a regular feature in trade rumors. The Warriors star is set to leave the franchise soon and several teams are lined up for him. In the meantime, he is busy practicing his skills. Thompson has Bahamian roots through his father Mychal, who was born in Eleuthera, Bahamas. The Warriors star was seen with Buddy Hield, Deandre Ayton, Eric Gordon, and other NBA stars on the court.

His practice session with the Bahamian team was merely an opportunity as Thompson cannot participate in the Olympics for any other country after representing the USA previously. However, FIBA rules dictate that teams can have one neutralized player on the team, and for the Bahamas, that player is Eric Gordon.

Post Edited By: Sameen Nawathe
DeAndre Ayton

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Prateek Singh

Prateek is a Senior NBA Writer for The SportsRush. He has over 900 published articles under his name. Prateek merged his passion for writing and his love for the sport of basketball to make a career out of it. Other than basketball, he is also an ardent follower of the UFC and soccer. Apart from the world of sports, he has followed hip-hop religiously and often writes about the origins, evolution, and the biggest stars of the music genre.

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