Shareef O’Neal wants to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father, Shaquille O’Neal. Diesel’s dominance is etched forever in the NBA’s annals. His route to the top was bumpy. But that didn’t stop him from crushing through every roadblock and cementing himself among the greats.

His son as well aspires to achieve that success. Shaq, however, believes he must forge his own route to that dream. Shareef entered the initial stages of that ambition, as he was signed by the LA Lakers for their summer league squad. However, his father wanted him to remain in college instead of trying his hand at the professional ranks.

Shareef though defied Shaq’s wishes. Instead of returning to college for his final season of eligibility and finishing school, he turned pro. He told The Athletic’s Bill Orem that he’s a grown man who can make his own decisions.

Now, as the Summer League comes to a close, Shareef O’Neal has shown flashes of talent. In four games with the Lakers Summer League team, he averaged 4.8 points and 3.8 rebounds. He even showed his appreciation to the franchise to present him with this massive opportunity.

An opportunity to continue with the Lakers and compete for the South Bay Lakers might help O’Neal polish his talents.

Shaquille O’Neal voiced his perspective as Shareef finally heard his father’s side

Shaquille O’Neal recently voiced his opinion as well, and he seemed to like seeing his son pave his own path. He stated on his podcast (14:00 onwards) that this will earn his son more respect and get him closer to his ambitions.

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Shaq said, “I can look and see where he needs to do certain things. My father told me this a long time ago, ‘I can tell what path to take, but you have to create your own path.’ So, he will get much more respect. He will get much more of what he is looking for if he does it on his own. Because as a father who has raised a fine young man, you let him do that…you let him go through that.” 

“None of my kids’ paths would be like mine cause I’m crazy. I sacrificed a lot. I did a lot to get where I’m at. Yeah, I’m all nice and cool and all that, but getting there, I wasn’t like that. So I don’t want my kids to be crazy like me. So they are going to have to find their own path,” he added.

Shareef’s route to the NBA has been fraught with difficulties. After undergoing open heart surgery and then fighting foot injuries in college, the young gun is still yet to reach his maximum potential. However, his appreciation for his journey, positive attitude, and drive may be something NBA teams admire.

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What lies next for the 22-year-old? Only time will tell.