“Similar to Bronny James”: Shaquille O’Neal Explains Why He’s Hesitant About Son Shareef Playing Professional Basketball

Shaquille O’Neal’s son, Shareef O’Neal’s promising basketball career took a massive blow when he was diagnosed with a heart condition in college. He’s continued to carve his path to the NBA in the G League, though. At 25 years old, Shareef’s chances of joining a team as a young prospect are behind him. But he’s still been searching for — and finding — opportunities.

Shaquille didn’t give much of a reaction to his son’s news about a tryout invite with the Sacramento Kings. Instead, Shaq stressed to his son that their family didn’t need anything more from basketball.

Shareef has been working with Shaq in his quest to revive Reebok as a talent recruiter on Power Moves, but this moment quickly turned personal once Shareef started discussing his basketball dreams. After spending over three decades entrenched in the sport, though, Shaq doesn’t believe his son needs to follow in his footsteps.

“I’ve been around this game since ’89, buddy. I’ve seen it all,” Shaq told his son candidly. “You gotta understand that in that life, you know you have to give everything up, right? How many birthday parties did I miss? …school plays…? How many times did you wake up and not see me?” 

Shareef understands why his father missed many of his childhood experiences. He hasn’t held Shaq’s temporary absences against him.

Why Shaq doesn’t want the same life for Shareef

Shaq wasn’t convinced his son wants that same life for himself. He tried to ensure that professional basketball was what he truly desired.

“Are you ready to live that life?” Shaq asked Shareef. “Cause if you wanna be great, my man, you gotta sacrifice everything. I’ve lost a family trying to be great … It’s great at the end because I can help y’all become great, but you’ve gotta make sure this is really what you want.”

Shaq doesn’t necessarily want to see his son attempt to make the same sacrifices he did to succeed in the NBA. He also doesn’t want Shareef to face constant comparisons to himself either. Shaq never faced this obstacle during his fabled Hall of Fame career, as he was the first.

“I don’t want [Shareef] to play [in the NBA] because it will be unfortunate for him that they will compare him to me,” Shaq told the cameras. “Similar to what Bronny James is going through right now. Unfair to him, and I don’t really want [Shareef] to go through that.”

Shareef’s stint with the Kings didn’t last long. Initially signed to their G League squad, he was subsequently waived. With his NBA aspirations possibly slipping away, Shareef O’Neal will have a big decision to make regarding where he will spend his time and energy in the coming years.

He can continue to grind in the gym — or he can help his father rebuild an iconic sports brand.