Tag: Shareef O’Neal

Shaq’s son Shaqir O’Neal enters the transfer portal

Shaqir O’Neal appeared in 20 games this season with one start at Texas Southern.

Another son of former LSU star and NBA Hall of Famer [autotag]Shaquille O’Neal[/autotag] has hit the transfer portal.

Shaq’s son [autotag]Shaqir O’Neal[/autotag], who previously played for Texas Southern, has opted to transfer. A 6-foot-8, 201-pound forward from Los Angeles, O’Neal was a redshirt sophomore for the Tigers this season.

He’s appeared in 20 games with one start in each of the last two seasons, and in 2023-24, he averaged 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds.

A three-star recruit who attended Union Grove High School in McDonough, Georgia, O’Neal ranked as the No. 284 nationally in the 2021 class, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings. His brother, Shareef, began his career at UCLA before transferring to LSU.

The elder O’Neal brother appeared in 24 games as a backup for the Tigers over two seasons. He went undrafted in 2022 and briefly spent time with the G League Ignite.

Shaqir is a largely unproven player, but coach [autotag]Matt McMahon[/autotag] could take a flyer on a legacy.

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Shareef O’Neal responds to constructive feedback from Robert Horry

O’Neal responded to some recent criticism from seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry.

Shareef O’Neal, the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, responded to recent feedback from seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry about his recent play with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Horry, who won three titles with Shaquille in Los Angeles, recalled watching Shareef in a workout with the Lakers on the “Big Shot Bob” podcast. He wasn’t impressed by what he saw from Shareef, who was apparently outworked by a teammate on the court.

He then proceeded to question his drive and effort.

I picked up my phone and I was getting ready to call Shaq like, ‘Yo, man, you gotta tell your son he can’t be playing off the damn O’Neal name.’ He gotta go out there and play. I was like, ‘You gotta put forth some effort, man.’ Shareef is such a nice kid that I don’t know if he has that dog in him to go out and take what he wants. Shaq had that dog in him. You gotta be able to do that.

The statement by Horry, which was made on July 28, started to circulate around social media and made it back to Shareef. He seemingly took the criticism in stride and vowed to bounce back and prove everyone wrong next season.

Shareef, who transferred from UCLA to LSU ahead of the 2020-21 season,  missed much of the past two years due to a foot injury. He made his season debut with the Tigers on Jan. 12 and averaged 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14 games.

The 22-year-old went undrafted but joined the Lakers for summer league. He averaged 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in six games between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He produced his best game on July 8 with seven points and four rebounds.

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Following his stint with the Lakers, Shareef signed a six-figure contract with the NBA G League Ignite for this season. He will have the opportunity to continue his development against NBA-caliber players alongside some of the top up-and-coming prospects.

He will certainly enter next season with that criticism from Horry in the back of his mind and look to turn in a strong 2022-23 campaign. With the season approaching, it will be worth monitoring to see how Shareef responds with the Ignite.

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Shareef O’Neal fires back at Robert Horry

During an episode of Horry’s “Big Shot Bob Pod with Robert Horry” podcast released last week, Horry criticized O’Neal’s effort. “I picked up my phone, and I was getting ready to call Shaq like, ‘Yo man, you gotta tell your son…he can’t be playing off the damn O’Neal name,’” Horry said, via Lakers Daily. “You gotta put forth some more effort man. You know Shareef’s such a nice kid, that I don’t know if he has that dog in him to go out there and take what he wants.”

Shareef O’Neal is joining the NBA G League Ignite

Shareef O’Neal, the son of Lakers great Shaquille O’Neal, will have an opportunity to develop his game as a member of the G League Ignite.

Shareef O’Neal, the son of Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal, was signed by the team as an undrafted free agent a few weeks ago.

He got spot duty during the NBA Summer League earlier this month and averaged 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field.

The younger O’Neal didn’t play a lot of college ball due to injury and health issues, and he reportedly had a disagreement with his father regarding his desire to leave college with one year of eligibility left.

The 22-year-old big man will be joining the NBA G League Ignite while earning a healthy income.

The G League Ignite is a team within the G League that is meant as a developmental environment for young players who are hoping to someday make a big league team.

The younger O’Neal needs plenty more time on the court in order to develop into whatever he will become as a player, but some feel he is an intriguing prospect.

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Shareef O’Neal to sign with G League Ignite for 2022-23 season

O’Neal averaged 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in six games with the Lakers in summer league.

Shareef O’Neal, the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, will reportedly sign a six-figure contract to play with the NBA G League Ignite, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

O’Neal, who transferred from UCLA to LSU ahead of the 2020-21 season,  missed much of the past two years due to a foot injury. He made his season debut with the Tigers on Jan. 12 and averaged 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14 games.

The 22-year-old went undrafted last month but played summer league with the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in six games between Salt Lake City and Las Vegas. He produced his best game on July 8 with seven points and four rebounds.

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The Ignite have helped produce several draft picks in their previous two seasons, including Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Dyson Daniels and MarJon Beauchamp. Starting this season, the team will play its home games in Henderson, Nevada.

He is the fifth player to commit to the program for the 2022-23 season, joining Scoot Henderson, Leonard Miller, Efe Abogidi and Sidy Cissoko. He will now have the opportunity to showcase his skills in front of scouts and executives against G League competition.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Lakers Summer League games just got way more interesting with Shaq and Scottie Pippen’s sons playing together

The Lakers’ Summer League team should be fun!

One thing about the Los Angeles Lakers is that they’ll never fail to bring in some big names. I mean, it is Hollywood after all. And how many bigger names are there in the NBA community than O’Neal and Pippen?

The Lakers traded into Thursday’s draft and took Max Christie with the 35th pick — a nice get for them, all things considered. But the Lakers’ two most noteworthy gets came at the draft’s conclusion when it was announced the Lakers had signed both Shareef O’Neal and Scotty Pippen Jr.

Of course, Shareef O’Neal is the son of Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal. And yes, Scotty Pippen Jr. is exactly who you think it is — the son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen.

Pippen Jr. will be one of the Lakers’ two-way players, while O’Neal gets a shot to compete for the purple and gold during the summer league.

These moves are already outstanding ones for the Lakers’ marketing teams but could also be great on-court additions should O’Neal and Pippen Jr. play anything like their old men.

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Shareef O’Neal agrees to play for Lakers in NBA Summer League

The son of a Lakers legend will be suiting up for the team’s entry in the NBA Summer League.

On Thursday, after acquiring the 35th pick in the NBA draft from the Orlando Magic, the Los Angeles Lakers used it to select Michigan State University guard Max Christie.

But L.A.’s work did not end up with the draft.

The team also added big man Shareef O’Neal as an undrafted rookie free agent, and he will play for the Lakers in the NBA Summer League next month.

He is the son of Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal, and he played three years of college ball for the University of California, Los Angeles and Louisiana State University.

O’Neal did not exactly put up impressive stats in college, but he may be someone to keep an eye on.

O’Neal was a highly touted prospect coming out of high school. At 6-foot-10 and 215 pounds, he was considered a big man who had nice ball-handling, scoring and defensive skills.

But a serious heart condition that required surgery, as well as a couple of injuries, somewhat torpedoed what some felt would be a promising college career.

If O’Neal has a high level of work ethic and desire, perhaps he could become a rotation player somewhere in the NBA within a couple of years. For now, at least, he will be considered a project player.

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Social media reacts to Tari Eason’s selection by the Houston Rockets

Eason gives LSU its second first-round pick in as many years.

LSU’s 2021-22 season ended in a disappointing fashion with the dismissal of coach Will Wade and a first-round exit in upset fashion in the NCAA Tournament. However, it was a good night on Thursday as [autotag]Tari Eason[/autotag] became the second first-round NBA draft pick from LSU in as many seasons when he was picked at No. 17 by the Houston Rockets.

Eason, a sophomore who transferred in from Cincinnati, was named the SEC’s Sixth Man of the Year this season and was a semifinalist for the national Defensive Player of the Year Award. With his selection, he became the highest-drafted LSU basketball player since Ben Simmons went No. 1 in 2016.

Eason’s selection already made it an exciting night for Tigers fans, even with players like [autotag]Darius Days[/autotag] and [autotag]Shareef O’Neal[/autotag] still awaiting their draft fates. In the meantime, here’s how social media reacted to Eason’s selection.