Soccer’s rising star, Vinicius Jr is the kind of NBA superfan we can’t match. From rubbing shoulders with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to making sure he’s surrounded by NBA stars at all times, he’s winning over the NBA. And now, there are new additions to Vini’s NBA circle. Not only a certain Shaquille O’Neal but also his family.

Shaq’s son, Shareef O’Neal, shared the gift he received from the Real Madrid star – his signed #7 jersey with the words “For O’Neal family. All the best.” Shareef didn’t skip how grateful he was for the gesture writing, “My brother! Thank you. @vinijr too fire.”

It’s another notch in Vinicius’ closeness to NBA stars. He’s already impressed fans with his mural of sports’ greatest stars, including Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James along with Muhammad Ali and Pele. He also has MJ and Kobe tattooed on his back with more legends.

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It’s unclear where and when Shareef and Vini crossed paths. Given that the Brazilian is now a regular courtside face, it’s not farfetched to believe they ran into each other.

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Vini’s love for basketball and NBA stars became palpable when he revealed the professionally drawn mural in his home gym. The expanding mural featured all the athletes that inspire him. After Christiano Ronaldo cheekily requested a spot on his mural, his biggest fan eagerly had the artist Rene Makela add him and LeBron James.

Shortly after showing off the new addition to his ‘Idols Wall,’ Vini got to meet King James in the flesh. That made his Christmas 10 times cooler. In the same holiday season, Vini was seen at more NBA games meeting up with Antetokounmpo, SGA, Jaylen Brown, and more. Some of these NBA stars were among many celebrities standing up for Vinicius Junior when he was subjected to discrimination.

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Similar to what he gifted Shaq’s son, Vini gifted James his Brazilian team jersey. He wrote, “To my idol King James. The best.” A few days after meeting his favorite NBA icons, Vinicius gave the complete view of his back tattoo. Kobe Bryant was front and center in it. Michael Jordan was depicted as left-handed, which became an Internet meme.

Fans love to joke that Vinicius Jr is picking up NBA stars like Infinity Stones. He’s now got an O’Neal or two in his collection too.

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