Shaquille O’Neal’s Son Signs with NBA G-League
Shareef O'Neal is joining the NBA's G-League Ignite after signing a six-figure contract with the developmental team, as reported by The Athletic / Stadium's Shams Charania. Shareef is the son of legendary Los Angeles Lakers center, Shaquille O'Neal.
"NBA teams were intrigued with O'Neal's athleticism and pedigree throughout the predraft and summer-league process," Charania tweeted. "O'Neal has worked extensively with trainer Justin Zormelo in his continued development as a pro prospect, helping O'Neal navigate his basketball career on and off the floor."
The 22-year-old went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft but quickly found work with the Lakers as a member of their NBA Summer League team. He played six games for the LakeShow, averaging 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds in Vegas, averaging 44.4 percent shooting from the field.
O'Neal split his collegiate career between UCLA (2019-20) and LSU (2020-22). Shareef underwent heart surgery while at UCLA.
As noted by Yahoo Sports' Nick Fenley, O'Neal went against his father's wishes by foregoing another season at LSU to opt in for the NBA Draft.
"He wanted me to stay in school," O'Neal shared. "I wanted to better myself through this. He knows I'm working out with teams. But I'm not going to lie, we ain't talked about this. I'm kind of just going through it. He didn't do any pre-draft workouts; he just got straight on the , so it's a different grind.
"So, he didn't want me to do this, and I know he probably doesn't want me saying this, but sorry. We're both grown, we'll get past it."
Follow Alejandro Avila on Twitter: @AlejandroAveela
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