This Father’s Day saw many NBA legends’ sons and daughters posting throwback photos on social media celebrating their dads. This turned out to be the case for Shaquille O’Neal as well, as his son Shareef O’Neal took to his Instagram and shared some heart-warming and hilarious snaps with his dad from back in the day.
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On Father’s Day, the former LSU star’s Instagram stories were flooded with pictures of his legendary dad. These photos attest to the love that Shaq has showered on his son over the last two decades.
In one of the photos, Shaq hilariously has just a couple of hair strands on his bald head that are twirling out comically. While sharing the photo, Shareef O’Neal wrote, “Happy Father’s Day“.
In another photo, a mere toddler Shareef can be seen sitting peacefully in the lap of his father as they celebrate one of Shaq’s three championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.
There were a couple of other photos that showcase a very young Shareef in different places with his father, from NBA sidelines to different events. In the photo dump, there was also another hilarious picture of a grown-up 6’9” Shareef trying to fit in the lap of his 7’1” pops.
These photos were among a long line of pictures that the former G-League Ignite athlete posted on his Insta.
Shareef O’Neal wishes dad Shaq a happy father’s day! pic.twitter.com/ccFyHX99Qv
— Ballerz Worldwide (@ballaznba) June 17, 2024
The mutual love between the father-son duo oozes out on their Instagram regularly. They have been through a lot together and that has only made their relationship stronger.
When Shaquille O’Neal encouraged his son Shareef during a difficult period
In 2018, then 18-year-old Shareef O’Neal had to undergo open-heart surgery after he was diagnosed with an anomalous coronary artery. The O’Neal family rallied behind their beloved member and Shaq led the charge in his usual humorous manner.
On the day of the surgery, he cheered up his son by cooking up a hilarious story about a beautiful nurse named Anesthesia walking in before the surgery, which would prompt Shareef to forget everything after it was done.
Apart from that, while his child was completing rehab after the surgery, Shaq motivated him by stating, “If you come back from this, you the baddest motherf***er alive!” Thus, having his father beside him helped Shareef on his road to recovery and his blessings have been one of the reasons why he has been able to turn his life around after suffering such a major setback.
