“One thing about O’Neals, brother, we don’t ever stop” - Shaquille O'Neal says he’ll keep supporting son Shareef on his basketball journey, says you have to be fabulous at this level
Shaquille O'Neal has always been honest about his son's career. Even though Shareef O'Neal is facing an uphill battle, his father continues to support his son's dream of one day playing in the NBA.
A well-known recruit out of high school, Shareef enrolled at UCLA. After a health procedure derailed his career, the talented forward transferred to LSU. Despite limited playing time last year, O'Neal enrolled in the NBA draft. Despite going undrafted, he was on the lakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">LA Lakers' summer league team.
On "The Big Podcast," O'Neal went on to give his opinion about his son's pursuit of his dream. Although Shareef didn't get a lot of playing time in the summer league, Shaq still expressed optimism for his son.
"It's his journey. It's his fight," said O'Neal, who previously said he wished his son had stayed in school. "Imma just have to keep supporting him and, you know, keep pushing. He did OK, but at this level you can't do OK. You've to do fabulous. You've to do great. He'll get there. He's young. He's still fighting.
"One thing about the O'Neals, brother, we don't ever stop. When you tell us we can't do something, we just gonna find a way to get it done."
Shaquille O'Neal offers support to his son's journey to the NBA
Shareef O'Neal is going to have an uphill battle to earn a spot in the NBA. Luckily enough for the 22-year-old, he's has a great mentor. After being viewed as the 32nd-ranked player in his high school class, O'Neal has been doing everything in his power to make it to the next level.
"I don't know if they're filming me right now... but you never know." 🎙️🤣
Listen to Shareef O'Neal mic'd up at #NBA2K23SummerLeague! https://t.co/t1M2poKAuf
The talented forward is still young enough and will need time to allow his game to continue to develop.
Despite showing some flashes with the Lakers in the Summer League, Shareef averaged just 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game. Shareef averaged 2.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg and 9.2 mpg in 14 games with LSU last season.
Shaquille O'Neal was a consensus first-team All-American and a two-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year at LSU. He was drafted No. 1 by the Orlando Magic in 1992.
For now, Shareef will continue to chase his NBA dream with the support of his father.