When a legend like LeBron James pulls off a crazy stunt or slick move on the court, other players often try to imitate it. But this time, it’s his pregame ritual.  It’s his signature ritual being mimicked. And who’s the one pulling it off? None other than 4 time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal’s son, Shareef O’Neal. And it’s not happening in any basketball arena. And where is this all happening? Hint, it’s far from any basketball court.

Yesterday, Shareef O’Neal shared a video on his Instagram story, where he can be seen doing King James’ signature celebration. While we all know about Shaq and LeBron’s strong friendship, this marks the first time Shareef has publicly shown his admiration for LeBron in such a way.

Speaking of that Instagram story, Shareef O’Neal was seen channeling LeBron James’ legendary pregame tradition—the chalk toss—but in Shaq’s courtyard. Instead of chalk, Shareef grabbed a handful of snow from his car and tossed it just like LeBron does before every big game, signaling to the world that he’s ready.

With the caption, “I ain’t seen snow in forever😂😂,” Shareef even took a moment, letting the snow hang in the air like LeBron himself, probably to say, “Yep, I’m ready to face whatever comes next.” But how hard was it for Shaq’s son when he went through the surgery?

Tough times for Shaq and Shareef

Shareef was on the verge of something big. He was set to begin his journey with the UCLA Bruins, ready to show the world what he could do. But life had other plans. Just as he was preparing to take the court, Shareef was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect that affected his coronary artery. In December 2018, he underwent open-heart surgery and spent months in rehab, even having to relearn how to walk.

He was only 18 when he had to go through all this. On the ‘Now For Later’ podcast with Eric Mika, Shareef revealed the best advice he received from his father, NBA icon Shaquille O’Neal. Shareef said, “he just looked at me and was like, ‘don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do something.” And  those words became the foundation of Shareef’s comeback.

Yes, it’s how he saw the world, and it’s a mindset he passed down to his son. For Shareef, those words became a guiding light during his recovery. As he explained, ‘It sounds really simple, but at that time, it was like, oh yeah, whatever I believe I can do, I can do it. So, you know, I kind of stuck with that mindset too.’ Shareef took his father’s wisdom to heart to push through the toughest moments of his recovery. But now that he is well and fit, and even hitting the court, great things are just around the corner.