The son of NBA great Shaquille O'Neal, Shareef O'Neal has been on the mountain it is a journey trying to leave his footprint in the various shadows cast by dad walks.
This is an in-depth exploration of Shareef O'Neal's career from college to the tuckered-out NBA draft treadmill.
College Career and Challenges
Unfortunately, Shareef O'Neal's college journey is one fraught with obstacles — many of which were health-related.
O'Neal redshirted his first season at UCLA as a freshman because of the condition soon after transferring to LSU where he barely saw playing time due to injuries and health problems.
However, even if he ran into complications of that nature in college (on account of O'Neal being on a bad team), LSU there were still certain moments where his talent burst through — for example, nine points seven rebounds one block and all this came from playing 19 minutes at Missouri.
Shaquille O'Neal Comparison
If you wonder why this is important, you're at least acknowledging that there are drastic differences between Shareef O'Neal's stint in college and his father Shaquille.
Shareef's college career is nothing compared to that of his father, Shaquille O'Neal — who dominated every single night at LSU and averaged a double-double with 21.6 points per game, on top of winning the National Player of the Year award in '91, becoming only one out of two players ever to do so before they took home an NBA championship as well.
NBA Summer League and Draft Process
That uncertainty was a direct result of Shareef O'Neal forgoing the rest of his college eligibility, and entering to 2022 NBA Draft.
After the NBA draft, O'Neal signed with the Los Angeles Lakers to try out for their Summer League team as an undrafted rookie.
O'Neal may not have gotten the invite to the NBA Draft Combine, but this time on display during Summer League could be just what he needs to land a position at pro ball.
Challenges and Criticisms
Concerns over O'Neal's past injuries, lack of on-court showings, and age have cast some skepticism about his draft prospects.
Some draft analysts have expressed skepticism about his NBA prospects to the point of not ranking him at all in their mock drafts or top 100 players list.
Analysts' concerns boil down to proving O'Neal can play at the next level.
Shaquille O'Neal (relationship)
Shaquille, his son had said he needed to finish college rather than enter the NBA draft and Shaq leaned on that idea.
This dynamic exposes the complexity of O'Neal's journey as well as what external pressures, he deals with.
NBA Summer League Performance
It is O'Neal's performance in the NBA Summer League this month that's one of his biggest chances to showcase where he fits on a larger stage, working with and against so many teammates who look nothing like him.
He made a statement when he had a double-double at the G League Elite Camp scrimmage, which was a good sign.
The Summer League games will give us a better idea of what O'Neal's NBA potential might be.
Future Prospects and Outlook
The path to making it in the NBA is littered with obstacles and unknowns — especially for Shareef O'Neal.
What he showed this Summer League and moving forward will be key to where his career can go.
Although the road to NBA success can be a long, hard slog O'Neal's determination and pedigree — not to mention raw unadulterated potential -- may put him in a strong position for professional basketball.
Shareef O'Neal is following his dreams in the NBA, but there are hurdles he has to leap over — and those aren't just family expectations.
This is the next big chapter in his pursuit of an NBA spot which includes college, draft process, and summer league.
Shareef O'Neal has heavyweight-linked difficulties in his way however if he can show grit and be intense one day Shareef can prove that he belongs deservedly with NBA players but also become a name separate from the famed giant of an old-man career legacy.
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