Father Shaquille O?Neal Believes Shareef Might Become as Good as Giannis Antetokounmpo but ?Needs His Motor?

Shaquille O’Neal went down in NBA history as one of the greatest players of all time. Given his basketball heritage, his son, Shareef O’Neal, might be under enormous pressure now.

Being the son of a former NBA player may place a burden on young prospects seeking to get into the NBA. However, being the child of one of the all-time greats is a totally different story. Shareef is still only skimming the surface of his talents, but his father believes in his son’s tremendous potential.

Shaq?discussed his son’s sky-high potential on his podcast. He went ahead and even compared him to Milwaukee Bucks standout, Giannis Antetokounmpo.

“I know for a fact he’s Giannis Antetokounmpo with a jump shot,” Shaq said. “But you know what makes Giannis different from every other player? His motor… full speed every time. His motor is, ‘I’m getting the ball, I’m dunking on you, I’m running you over, I don’t care who’s in the way. No, I’m not joining up with any superstars,'” he added.

Giannis is a two-time MVP and one of the league’s finest players right now. Therefore, labeling Shareef a better version of the Greek Freak is a fairly contentious claim. Shaq also mentioned how even a young Giannis required assistance to find his full potential.

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“Once his (Shareef’s) motor gets like that, he’ll be on his way. You’ve had a reputation of your motor being like that because when Giannis first came he wasn’t like that. Then, when Jason Kidd said, “Hey, man, I’m putting the ball in your hand, go crazy,” then he developed that,” O’Neal said.

Shaquille O’Neal thinks that the Lakers did not understand his son’s game

Shareef O’Neal played for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2022 Summer League. He displayed flashes of brilliance but failed to stay up with top draft picks. These, according to his father, are the flashes that must be turned into moments. On his podcast, he said that his kid will have to keep fighting to get to where he desires to be.

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Shaq also stated that he did not believe his current team truly understood Shareef’s game. His father is correct in this regard since Shareef was not playing to his strengths and did not receive enough game time to provide an accurate picture of his potential.

He went on to say that Shareef would most likely have to compete in the G-League to continue developing his game alongside other talented youngsters aspiring to play in the NBA.

Interestingly, O’Neal recently signed a six-figure contract to play for the Nevada-based G League Ignite next season.

The developmental Ignite team is a promising next chapter for him, who aspires to be at the pinnacle like his father. Shareef is still a long way from there, but he is on the right course.