Shareef O'Neal
{{short description|American basketball player (born 2000)}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Shareef O'Neal
| image = Shareef O'Neal @ the 2019 Drew League.jpg
| caption = O'Neal at the Drew League in 2019
| position = Power forward / center
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 10
| weight_lb = 220
| league =
| team = Free agent
| number =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2000|1|11}}
| birth_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
| high_school = * Windward School
(Los Angeles, California)
| college = * UCLA (2018–2020)
- LSU (2020–2022)
| draft_year = 2022
| career_start = 2022
| years1 = 2022–2023
| team1 = NBA G League Ignite
| highlights =
- NBA G League Next Up Game (2023)
- Jordan Brand Classic (2018)
}}
Shareef Rashaun O'Neal (born January 11, 2000) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League. The son of Hall of Fame player Shaquille O'Neal, he attended Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California. As a senior forward, O'Neal was ranked among the top high school basketball players of his class. He was a redshirt during his first season in college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, when he underwent heart surgery. He played as a reserve for the Bruins in 2019–20 before transferring midseason to the LSU Tigers.
Early life
Born in Los Angeles, O'Neal is the son of former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Shaquille O'Neal and Shaunie O'Neal. He has two older half-siblings and three younger siblings. Despite his father's basketball fame, Shareef grew up without a passion for the game and preferred skateboarding. His interest in basketball grew after he had a disappointing performance at a middle school Amateur Athletic Union game and was prompted to "prove everybody wrong" on the court.{{cite web|last1=Ferguson|first1=Ashton|title=Son of Shaq: Shareef O'Neal creates own path|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/basketball/son-of-shaq-shareef-oneal-creates-own-path/|website=Las Vegas Review-Journal|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=July 28, 2017}} At age 13, O'Neal began training regularly and was able to dunk.
High school career
Starting in his freshman season, O'Neal played basketball for Windward School in Los Angeles at the forward position.{{cite web|last1=Hickman|first1=Jason|title=See Shaquille O'Neal's son Shareef in action for Windward|url=http://www.maxpreps.com/news/d5NRqkMNLkWeHzX3T_ZfyA/see-shaquille-oneals-son-shareef-in-action-for-windward.htm|website=MaxPreps.com|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=December 12, 2014}} His highlight videos immediately helped him gain popularity on the Internet and appeared in The Washington Post.{{cite web|last1=Gayomali|first1=Chris|title=Shaq's High School Freshman Son Is 6'8" and Already a Mixtape God|url=https://www.gq.com/story/shaqs-highschool-freshman-son-is-68-and-already-a-mixtape-god|website=GQ|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=May 14, 2015}}{{cite news|last1=Boren|first1=Cindy|title=Shaq's 6-7 son Shareef is really good at basketball|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2015/05/13/shaqs-6-7-son-shareef-is-really-good-at-basketball/|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=May 13, 2015}} However, he received limited playing time because the team's six seniors earned the most minutes.{{cite web|last1=Brand|first1=Steve|title=Shaq's son has room to grow|url=http://hs.utpreps.com/news_article/show/460732-shaq-s-son-has-room-to-grow|website=UTPreps.com|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=December 27, 2014}} Head coach Steve Smith viewed O'Neal's first season with Windward as a "learning year" and expected him to assume a larger role in the following season. At the end of the season, he was averaging 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.{{cite web|last1=Thiry|first1=Lindsey|title=USC basketball offers Shareef O'Neal a scholarship|url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/usc/uscnow/la-sp-usc-basketball-offers-shareef-oneal-scholarship-20150514-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=May 14, 2015}} In May 2015, O'Neal received a scholarship offer from USC, his first from an NCAA Division I program.{{cite web|last1=Patterson|first1=Chip|title=Shaq's son, Shareef O'Neal, receives offer from USC|url=https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/shaqs-son-shareef-oneal-receives-offer-from-usc/|website=CBS Sports|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=May 14, 2015}} In the following months, he had additional offers from Baylor, LSU, UCLA, and Kansas State.{{cite web|last1=Gershon|first1=Josh|title=Shaq's Son Shareef O'Neal has 5 Hoops Offers|url=https://scout.com/college/basketball/recruiting/Article/2018-PF-Shareef-ONeal-son-of-Shaq-holds-five-offers-105499158|website=Scout.com|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=November 9, 2015}}
O'Neal remained with Windward as a sophomore and saw significant improvement. In October 2015, at a tournament in Fairfax High School that featured many top high school teams in the nation, O'Neal scored 23 points in a loss to Bishop Alemany.{{cite web|title=Fairfax one-day basketball tournament: Live updates|url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-fairfax-basketball-tournament-live-20151017-htmlstory.html|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=October 21, 2016}} O'Neal, in December, drew attention from scouts at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic despite his team's struggles.{{cite web|last1=Bossi|first1=Eric|title=Shaq's son impresses at Maxpreps Classic|url=https://n.rivals.com/news/shaq-s-son-impresses-at-maxpreps-classic|website=Rivals.com|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=December 29, 2015}} He became known as a versatile swingman with ball-handling, shooting, and defending skills.{{cite web|last1=Duffy|first1=Thomas|title=Shaquille O'Neal's 6'8" Son, Shareef, Dominates 15U Tournament in Las Vegas|url=http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2561390-shaquille-oneals-68-son-shareef-dominates-15u-tournament-in-las-vegas|website=Bleacher Report|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=September 4, 2015}}
On June 29, 2016, the Los Angeles Times announced that O'Neal would transfer to Crossroads School in Santa Monica.{{cite web|last1=Sondheimer|first1=Eric|title=Shareef O'Neal is headed to Crossroads|url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/varsity-times/la-sp-vi-boys-basketball-shareef-o-neal-is-headed-to-crossroads-20160629-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=June 29, 2016}}{{cite web|last1=Goodman|first1=Jeff|title=Shaq's son transferring to Crossroads|url=http://smdp.com/shaqs-son-transferring-to-crossroads/156129|website=Santa Monica Daily Press|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=July 6, 2016}} He joined the team expected to take a leading role with top high school recruit Ira Lee.{{cite web|last1=Sondheimer|first1=Eric|title=Shareef O'Neal helps Crossroads hold off Brentwood, 54-50|url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/highschool/la-sp-brentwood-crossroads-20170106-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=January 6, 2017}} On January 6, 2017, O'Neal scored 15 points in a 54–50 win over Brentwood. In a 44–80 loss to Mater Dei on February 17, he scored 20 points in a matchup with Bol Bol, son of former NBA player Manute Bol.{{cite web|last1=Gordon|first1=Leland|title=Sons of Shaquille O'Neal, Manute Bol meet in Southern California playoff game|url=http://www.maxpreps.com/news/q3E9OSOVlEq9LUyqkM33zQ/sons-of-shaquille-oneal,-manute-bol-meet-in-southern-california-playoff-game.htm|website=MaxPreps.com|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=February 17, 2017}}
=Recruiting=
File:Shareef O'Neal Crossroads (cropped).jpg in 2017]]
In April 2017, O'Neal committed to play college basketball for Arizona.{{cite magazine|last1=Axson|first1=Scooby|title=Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shareef, commits to Arizona|url=https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2017/04/19/shareef-oneal-arizona-commit|magazine=Sports Illustrated|access-date=November 26, 2017|date=April 19, 2017}} On February 24, 2018, he decommitted from Arizona immediately following allegations by ESPN that FBI wiretaps had intercepted phone conversations between Arizona coach Sean Miller and an agent discussing paying $100,000 to ensure star player Deandre Ayton signed with Arizona. Because he signed a nonbinding financial aid agreement with Arizona instead of a formal letter of intent, he did not require a release from Arizona to seek out a new school.{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/22567755/shareef-oneal-decommits-arizona-wildcats-amid-fbi-probe |title=Arizona commit Shareef O'Neal, Shaquille's son, opens recruitment amid probe |first=Jeff |last=Borzello |website=ESPN.com |date=February 24, 2018 |access-date=February 24, 2018}} O'Neal verbally committed to UCLA on February 27,{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/college-sports/recruiting/basketball/mens/story/_/id/22598554/shaquille-oneal-son-shareef-oneal-commits-ucla|title=Shareef O'Neal commits to UCLA after decommitting from Arizona|work=ESPN|first=Jeff |last=Borzello|date=February 27, 2018}} but he did not sign a National Letter of Intent during the signing period that ended on May 16.{{cite news|last=Nguyen|first=Thuc Thi|title=Cody Riley withdraws from NBA draft, joining Hands, Wilkes back at UCLA|date=May 30, 2018|newspaper=Los Angeles Daily News|url=https://www.dailynews.com/2018/05/30/cody-riley-withdraws-from-nba-draft-joining-hands-wilkes-back-at-ucla/}} He signed with the Bruins in August.{{cite news|last=Bolch|first=Ben|title=UCLA announces the signing of Shareef O'Neal, Shaquille's son|date=August 6, 2018|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/la-sp-ucla-shareef-oneal-20180806-story.html}}
{{College athlete recruit start|40=no|collapse=no|year=2018}}
{{College athlete recruit entry
| recruit = Shareef O'Neal
| position = PF
| hometown = Los Angeles, CA
| highschool = Crossroads School (CA)
| feet = 6
| inches = 9.5
| weight = 210
| 40 =
| commitdate = February 27, 2018
| rivals stars = 4
| 247 stars = 4
| espn stars = 4
| espn grade = 89
}}
{{College athlete recruit end
| 40 =
| year = 2018
| rivals ref title = UCLA 2018 Basketball Commitments
| scout ref title =
| espn ref title = 2018 UCLA Bruins Recruiting Class
| rivals school = UCLA
| scout school =
| espn schoolid = 12
| 247 overall = 52
| rivals overall = 40
| espn overall = 32
| access-date = August 26, 2018
| bball = yes
}}
College career
=UCLA (2018–2020)=
During practices over the summer, O'Neal began dealing with health issues, and was given a heart monitor by doctors to wear. On September 28, 2018, UCLA announced that he would miss the 2018–19 season but remain enrolled at the school as a medical redshirt. He was diagnosed with a heart condition by the UCLA medical staff,{{cite news |last1=Bolch |first1=Ben |title=UCLA's Shareef O'Neal will miss entire season because of heart condition |url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/la-sp-ucla-shareef-oneal-20180928-story.html |access-date=September 29, 2018 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=September 28, 2018}} and underwent surgery in December.{{cite news|last=Bolch|first=Ben|title=Shareef O'Neal is ready and healthy enough to make UCLA debut|date=November 4, 2019|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2019-11-04/ucla-shareef-oneal-bruins-debut-long-beach-state|access-date=November 9, 2019}} He played in the Drew League over the summer, and later in the Bruins' exhibition game. He wore a monitoring device during practice for post-surgery research on his heart but did not wear it during games.
In April 2019, UCLA hired Mick Cronin as their head coach to replace the fired Steve Alford.{{cite news|last=Bolch|title=Shareef O'Neal announces decision to transfer from UCLA|date=January 22, 2020|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2020-01-22/shareef-oneal-announces-decision-to-transfer-from-ucla|access-date=January 23, 2020}} O'Neal made his UCLA debut in the 2019–20 season opener, playing six minutes without scoring against Long Beach State.{{cite news|title=Cronin wins UCLA debut as Bruins rally past Long Beach State|date=November 7, 2019|website=ESPN.com|agency=Associated Press|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=401170558|access-date=November 9, 2019}} On December 14, 2019, he had his best game of the season with eight points and a career-high 11 rebounds in a loss against Notre Dame.{{cite news|last=Bolch|first=Ben|title=UCLA's Shareef O'Neal works on establishing his own identity on court|date=December 19, 2019|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/ucla/story/2019-12-19/uclas-shareef-oneal-works-on-establishing-his-own-identity-on-court|access-date=January 6, 2020}} In a win against California on January 19, 2020, Cronin elected not to play O'Neal for the fifth time during the season. On January 22, O'Neal announced that he was leaving UCLA. He averaged 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 10.2 minutes per game as a reserve for the Bruins, who were 9–9 at the time.
=LSU (2020–2022)=
On February 14, 2020, O'Neal announced that he was transferring to Louisiana State University, where his father played college basketball.{{cite magazine |last1=Lundberg |first1=Robin |title=Shareef O'Neal Transferring to LSU, Talks Final Text From Kobe |url=https://www.si.com/college/2020/02/15/shareef-oneal-transfer-lsu-talks-kobe-text |access-date=February 15, 2020 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |date=January 22, 2021}} O'Neal suffered a foot injury that kept him from the Tigers' first few conference games of the 2020–21 season,{{cite web |last1=Lyons |first1=Dan |title=LSU F Shareef O'Neal Updates Status Of His Foot Injury |url=https://thespun.com/sec/lsu/shareef-oneal-son-shaq-lsu-basketball-foot-injury-boot-return-timetable |website=The Spun |access-date=26 January 2021}} and was limited to 10 games played overall for the season. He missed the first 12 games of 2021–22 while recovering from his foot injury.{{cite news|first=Tim|last=Buckley|title=With Shaq watching from the front row, Shareef O'Neal delivers for LSU basketball|date=February 27, 2022|newspaper=Lafayette Daily Advertiser|url=https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/lsu/2022/02/26/shaquille-oneal-shaq-shareef-lsu-basketball-missouri/6847734001/|access-date=February 27, 2022}} He played in 14 games, averaging 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds while playing an average of 9.4 minutes per game. After the season, he entered the transfer portal.{{cite news|first=Sheldon|last=Mickels|title=Shaquille O'Neal's son, Shareef, has decided to enter the transfer portal at LSU|date=March 28, 2022|newspaper=The Advocate|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/sports/lsu/article_162075ec-aee3-11ec-a0fb-d7ac6deb836a.html|access-date=April 1, 2022}}
On June 6, 2022, O'Neal declared for the NBA draft after he was mistakenly placed on the list of early entrants who had withdrawn from the draft.{{Cite web |title=Shareef O'Neal ruled eligible for 2022 NBA draft after some confusion |url=https://sports.yahoo.com/shareef-o-neal-ruled-eligible-223145920.html |access-date=June 6, 2022 |website=Yahoo Sports|date=6 June 2022 }}
Professional career
=NBA G League Ignite (2022–2023)=
After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, O'Neal joined the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2022 NBA Summer League.{{cite magazine|first=Jelani|last=Scott|title=Scotty Pippen Jr., Shareef O'Neal Score First Buckets As Lakers|url=https://www.si.com/nba/2022/07/03/scotty-pippen-jr-shareef-oneal-score-first-buckets-lakers-summer-league-debut|magazine=Sports Illustrated|date=July 2, 2022|access-date=July 5, 2022}} On September 28, 2022, he signed with the NBA G League Ignite as a veteran player since he was draft eligible in the 2022 NBA draft.{{cite web|title=Ignite Announces Veteran Roster Additions|url=https://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/ignite-announces-veteran-roster-additions/n-5885964|website=OurSportsCentral.com|date=September 28, 2022|access-date=September 28, 2022}} O'Neal was named to the G League's inaugural Next Up Game for the 2022–23 season.{{cite web|title=Wolves' Garza And Ignite's Henderson Named Captains For NBA G League Next Up Game|url=https://gleague.nba.com/news/wolves-garza-and-ignites-henderson-named-captains-for-nba-g-league-next-up-game|website=NBA.com|date=February 7, 2023|access-date=March 8, 2023}}
On October 18, 2024, O'Neal signed with the Sacramento Kings,{{cite web|title=Kings Announce Roster Moves|url=https://www.nba.com/kings/news/kings-announce-roster-moves-2|website=NBA.com|date=October 18, 2024|access-date=October 20, 2024}} but was waived the next day.{{cite web|first=Arthur|last=Hill|title=Kings Waive Antoine Davis, Shareef O'Neal, Drew Timme|url=https://www.hoopsrumors.com/2024/10/kings-waive-antoine-davis-shareef-oneal-drew-timme.html|website=HoopsRumors.com|date=October 19, 2024|access-date=October 20, 2024}} On October 27, he joined the Stockton Kings,{{cite web|title=Stockton Kings Announce 2024-25 Training Camp Roster|url=https://stockton.gleague.nba.com/news/stockton-kings-announce-2024-25-training-camp-roster|website=NBA.com|date=October 27, 2024|access-date=October 27, 2024}} but was then waived on November 7.{{cite web|title=2024-2025 Stockton Kings Transaction History|url=https://basketball.realgm.com/gleague/teams/Stockton-Kings/56/Transaction_History/2025|website=RealGM.com|access-date=November 11, 2024}}
Career statistics
{{NBA player statistics legend}}
=College=
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19
| style="text-align:left;"| UCLA
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="11"| File:Redshirt.svg Medical Redshirt
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20
| style="text-align:left;"| UCLA
| 13 || 0 || 10.2 || .321 || .333 || .474 || 2.9 || .2 || .3 || .2 || 2.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21
| style="text-align:left;"| LSU
| 10 || 0 || 14.5 || .375 || .182 || .500 || 4.4 || .0 || .5 || .5 || 2.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2021–22
| style="text-align:left;"| LSU
| 14 || 0 || 9.2 || .500 || .143 || .467 || 2.1 || .1 || .1 || .4 || 2.9
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 37 || 0 || 11.0 || .405 || .208 || .480 || 3.0 || .1 || .3 || .4 || 2.6
{{S-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://lsusports.net/sports/mens-basketball/roster/shareef-o-neal/24522 LSU Tigers bio]
- [https://uclabruins.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/shareef-o-neal/8460 UCLA Bruins bio]
{{Shaquille O'Neal}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneal, Shareef}}
Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen
Category:21st-century American sportsmen
Category:American men's basketball players
Category:Basketball players from Los Angeles
Category:LSU Tigers men's basketball players
Category:NBA G League Ignite players