Like Father, Like Son! Shareef, Who Played for Lakers in the Summer League, Followed Shaquille O’Neal to Sign Long-Term NFT Deal

Shareef O’Neal has already shown signs of walking in the footsteps of his NBA legend father, Shaquille O’Neal, through his dedication and commitment to the game of basketball. However, it seems like the Big Diesel’s eldest son is also trying to emulate his dad’s business acumen. In December last year, Shaquille O’Neal launched his Non-Fungible Token(NFT) project that raised millions for his charitable foundation. In the same month, Shareef O’Neal also signed a NIL deal with an NFT platform and pledged part of the proceeds to charity.

Shaq’s eldest son Shareef has still a long way to go if he wants to establish himself as an NBA great like his father. However, the 22-year-old has shown potential to be a reliable and responsible athlete. After playing for the Los Angeles Lakers Summer League team this summer, Shareef has recently signed a six-figure deal with NBA G-League Ignite.

Alongside, his progress in basketball, the former LSU recruit has also grown in other areas. For example, his NIL deal last year with NFT Genius created a ‘like father, like son’ moment.

Shareef O’Neal’s NFT deal

According to a Forbes report, Shareef O’Neal has signed a long-term name, image, likeness(NIL) deal with the NFT platform NFT Genius. As it turns out, the project will include a new line of NFTs telling the stories of Shareef and the O’Neal household’s love of sports.

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“I see NFTs as an innovative medium to bring fans along my life’s journey — to join me and my family through our own successes and struggles and bring awareness to causes that are important to me,” O’Neal stated.

The former LSU recruit has pledged a section of the proceeds from the month of February to the American Heart Association. The initiative is intended to commemorate the American Heart Month in February. Incidentally, Shareef O’Neal was diagnosed with a heart condition in 2018 during his stint with UCLA.

As a result, he had to undertake heart surgery later that year. Therefore, it is certainly thoughtful of the budding star to donate to a cause that affected him personally.

Shaquille O’Neal raised millions for charity with his NFT project

Last year, Shaquille O’Neal launched his own NFT project ‘Shaq Gives Back’ through the NFT platform Notables. The project minted 10,000 tokens depicting the four-time NBA champion in different costumes.

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As it turns out, the initiative raised $1 million in a little over half an hour. Overall, it raised $2 million. The Big Aristotle had promised the proceeds from the project to his charity foundation to help the American youth.