“You gotta make sure you outplay 15 guys” - Shaquille O’Neal advises son Shareef O’Neal to "take it," says he’ll gain more respect if he goes on his own path
Shaquille O’Neal has always been honest with his opinion, even for his son Shareef O'Neal. Once one of the top recruits out of high school, Shareef has dealt with setbacks throughout his basketball career. He faces long odds to even make an NBA team, let alone become a Hall of Famer like his dad.
The 22-year-old forward is playing with the lakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">LA Lakers during Summer League, hoping to make an impression and land an NBA job. On "The Big Podcast with Shaq," Shareef's father talked about the advice he gave his son heading into Summer League.
"My only advice would be: You've got to take it son. Like, he's such a nice kid, gotta take it. I said, 'You're on a Summer League team, 14-15 guys that want your spot, so it's only gonna be two of y'all come out of there. So, you gotta make sure you outplay 15 guys."
Shareef began his collegiate career at UCLA before a heart operation put a brief halt to his playing days. After transferring to LSU, O'Neal made the decision to attempt to earn a spot in the NBA despite having limited minutes in college. While the 6-foot-9 forward has talent, O'Neal has his work cut out for him to make it at the next level.
Shaquille O’Neal with advice for son Shareef O'Neal
A four-star recruit in high school, O'Neal has been on a tough journey. The talented forward drew plenty of attention coming into college basketball as the son of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
Although the two have had such different paths, Shaquille stressed how proud he has been of his son despite his ups and downs.
Time will tell if Shareef will have make an NBA roster. Despite limited minutes in college, O'Neal has shown some flashes throughout the summer while playing with the LA Lakers.
🤯Shareef O’Neal dunking like his pops 🔥🤯https://t.co/aMdlP9hPr0
The basketball world will have to wait to see what lies ahead for Shareef O'Neal. Shareef averaged 2.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game for LSU last year in just 10.2 minutes of action. He went undrafted.
Shaquille O'Neal was the No. 1 pick out of LSU in 1992. The 1992-93 Rookie of the Year with the Orlando Magic, he went on to three championships with the Lakers and another with the Miami Heat.