Long Before Calling Ja Morant a Young Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O?Neal Heaped the Same Praise on His Son Shareef O?Neal

Shaquille O’Neal played with some legendary players throughout his Hall of Fame NBA career. From star guards like Penny Hardaway, Kobe Bryant, and Dwyane Wade to forwards like LeBron James and Paul Pierce, the 4-time NBA Champion knows firsthand what it takes to stamp your authority in this league.

The Los Angeles Lakers legend once compared his son, Shareef to the legends he has played with in a similar way to how he compared Ja Morant to those same players recently.

O’Neal had said that Ja reminded him of a young Kobe Bryant. “Kobe had that ?it’ factor when I met him at 17 years old. He knew that he was the man. He knew that one day, he was gonna be the greatest player ever. That?s what I think about when I think about this cat right here [Morant].”

O’Neal had heaped the same praise on his son in 2018. In a Twitter post, Shaq wrote, “Yup I c the same thing in you that I saw in Kobe and Penny”. This was at the time when Shareef was a heavily recruited high-school player.

While Ja Morant has proven that he can go on to achieve great things in the NBA, the same cannot be said about Shareef. O’Neal had a lot of potential going into college, but a heart surgery changed things drastically. After two years at UCLA, he transferred to his dad’s alma mater, LSU. Injuries prevented him from making a name for himself though.

READ MORE: Mother Lucille?s Strongly Worded Advice Changed Shaquille O?Neal?s Life

O’Neal managed to play just 37 games in college and averaged 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds. He went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft but was picked up by the Los Angeles Lakers for the Summer League.

Will Shaquille O’Neal regret his words on Ja Morant too?

While Shareef’s career hasn’t panned out the way his father would have hoped for, Morant has made the world take note of him. The Memphis Grizzlies superstar had a breakout year last season. The 22-year-old averaged career highs in points, rebounds, steals, blocks, FG%, and 3PT%.

He was named an All-Star starter for the first time in his 3-year NBA career. The Grizzlies finished the season with the second-best record in the league. Morant won the Most Improved Player Award along with being named to the All-NBA Second Team.

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Shaq’s hunch about his son might have proved wrong, but Morant’s trajectory is certainly on a rise. Will Shareef be able to make a name for himself in the league? Let us know in the comments.