“Sit your a** down, go to school… He’s like, ‘No, dad, I wanna play’” - Shaquille O'Neal says he’s proud of his son Shareef, calls him ‘Giannis Antetokounmpo with a jump shot’
Shaquille O'Neal was one of the top NBA players of his era, and now Shaq believes his son Shareef could be the same in the modern day.
Anytime a legacy player enters the league, there is extra pressure on them to be as great as their father. While Shareef O'Neal has a long way to go to reach his father's success, Shaquille is buying into his son's potential.
On his podcast, O'Neal spoke about his son's potential and compared him to Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo:
"I know for a fact he's Giannis Antetokounmpo with a jump shot. But you know what makes Giannis different from every other player? His motor. His motor: full speed everytime. His motor is, 'I'm getting the ball, I'm dunking the ball, I'm running you over, I don't care who's in the way. No, I'm not joining up with any superstars.'
Given that Antetokounmpo is one of the NBA's top stars, comparing Shareef to a better version of him is a significant statement. With jump shooting being one of the few weaknesses in Antetokounmpo's game, a player with that in their arsenal could find NBA success.
For now, Shareef O'Neal will need to use his opportunity with the lakers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">LA Lakers to prove that he can reach his potential. Shaquille O'Neal pointed out that Antetokounmpo also needed help during his early years:
"Once his motor gets like that, he'll be on his way. You've had reputation of your motor being like that because when Giannis first came he wasn't like that. Then, when Jason Kidd said, "Hey, man, I'm putting the ball in your hand, go crazy," then he developed that.
Shaquille is not the only person to acknowledge how much help a young Antetokounmpo received to reach his potential.
"Jason made Giannis toe the line, if you will, when Giannis was a rookie"
@Hoophall member Rod Thorn tells @TheFrankIsola & @Jumpshot8 why Jason Kidd deserves a lot of credit for the player Giannis Antetokounmpo has become
#FearTheDeer | @Giannis_An34 https://t.co/Xt25YPlxEL
If Shareef O'Neal can live up to his father's expectations, he could be the next Lakers star.
Shaquille O'Neal's son Shareef is chasing his dream after open-heart surgery
Part of the reason that Shareef O'Neal went undrafted (beyond playing just 14 games at LSU) is because of his open-heart surgery. Shaquille O'Neal spoke about his son making a basketball comeback.
"I'm proud of him, because after that surgery I told him, I said, 'I don't want you to do nothing, sit your a** down, go to school, get a master's degree, come run one of my companies. You don't ever have to do anything.' But he's like, 'No, dad, I wanna play.'
Shareef received advice from another Lakers legend throughout his life, which aided his comeback.
@SSJreefShareef O’Neal shares a lesson learned from Kobe Bryant
#Mamba 💜🐍💛 @SSJreef https://t.co/h5OTKuGd1X
Now Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shareef, will need to make the most of his opportunity to try to reach the top of the NBA.