Like Shaquille O’Neal’s multi-hyphenated business ventures, even Shareef O’Neal is successfully following those footsteps. It started when the Lakers legend asked his son not to travel to Australia, and instead help him with the rebranding of Reebok. Recently, his on-court story did lead him to the NBA, but it included a caveat. So, in the meantime, the 24-year-old has found another sport, though he has already warned people what to expect from him.

Shaquille O’Neal and ex-wife Shaunie Henderson’s eldest born added a story on his Instagram. “Imma get right wit my golfing, I know it look bad 😂.” Yes, Shareef O’Neal had an unusual stance, but to be fair to him, he got some distance. However, the trajectory of the ball was not so right. Just like a previous attempt by his father.

In 2022, with help from golf legend, Lee Trevino, the Big Aristotle’s swing, was one to watch. The PGA Tour of Champions Instagram page uploaded a video of Shaq hitting the golf ball alongside the golf legend. The 6x Major championship winner even had words of advice for Shaquille O’Neal. “Don’t move your hips now, just move your arms up and around.” Still, it wasn’t enough to avoid the disaster.

The 4x NBA Champion also had a unique stance. His shot generated enough power, but the ball went straight into the water. This led to Lee stating, “Beauty. The rings, the rings. You see that?” He further goes on to whisper to the camera, “That’s where it went, 20. He hit it 22 feet” (pointing towards the water).

So, both Shaquille O’Neal and his son need to improve their golfing game. And for Shareef, he would definitely try to improve his NBA fortunes, too. He signed a one-year contract with the Sacramento Kings, although he was waived the next day and reassigned to the Stockton Kings in the G-League. Even the Stockton Kings waived him in early November. But that hasn’t slowed him down to achieve more success off the court.

Hooping or not, Shaquille O’Neal’s son is trying to create his own legacy

Not all journeys are similar. And certainly, unlike his father who always found his path in basketball, Shareef’s story is unique in itself. With zero pressure from his dad, the young talent pursued basketball himself. Shareef won the CA State Championship in 2018 and committed to UCLA.

For many, his open-heart surgery because of an anomalous coronary artery in 2018 should have ended his career. However, his father’s words kept resonating in his ears which Shareef revealed to People, “(Shaquille O’Neal) just looked at me and was like, ‘don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do something.'”

Shareef returned to the hardwood and later played for his father’s alma mater, LSU. In 2022, Shaquille O’Neal‘s son declared for the draft but went undrafted.

The 6-foot-10 star joined the Lakers in summer league and their G League team but his performances weren’t noteworthy. Later, Shaq asked his son to join Reebok and work as a designer. “We’re doing a really good job. I’d say that by the time 2025 starts, Reebok will be up there with the rest of these brands.”

Recently, the 24-year-old also teamed up with Fashion Nova to endorse their menswear line Nova Men. So, even though his basketball career has a lot of stops and starts, his off-court ventures continue to be on the rise. And who knows, he just might up his game both on the hardwood and the greens.