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Shareef O'Neal
Shareef O'Neal @ the 2019 Drew League.jpg
O'Neal at the Drew League in 2019
Free agent
Power forward / center
Personal information
Born (2000-01-11) January 11, 2000 (age 25)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
High school
Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight 220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College
  • UCLA (2018–2020)
  • LSU (2020–2022)
NBA Draft 2022 / Undrafted
Pro career 2022–present
Career history
2022–2023 NBA G League Ignite
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA G League Next Up Game (2023)
  • Jordan Brand Classic (2018)

Shareef Rashaun O'Neal (born January 11, 2000) is an American basketball player. He is the son of Shaquille O'Neal, a famous player in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Shareef last played for the NBA G League Ignite team. He went to Crossroads School in Santa Monica, California. In high school, he was one of the best players in his age group.

During his first year of college basketball at UCLA, Shareef had heart surgery. This meant he could not play in games that season. He played as a backup player for UCLA in 2019–20. Later, he moved to play for the LSU Tigers.

Shareef O'Neal's Early Life

Shareef O'Neal was born in Los Angeles, California. His parents are Shaquille O'Neal, a former National Basketball Association (NBA) player, and Shaunie O'Neal. Shareef has two older half-siblings and three younger siblings.

Even though his dad was a basketball star, Shareef did not love basketball at first. He liked skateboarding more. His interest in basketball grew after a tough game in middle school. He wanted to "prove everyone wrong" on the court. When he was 13, Shareef started training a lot. He soon became good enough to dunk the basketball!

High School Basketball Journey

Shareef started playing basketball for Windward School in Los Angeles. He played as a forward. Videos of his best plays quickly became popular online. The Washington Post even wrote about him.

However, Shareef did not play much in his first year. The team's older players got most of the game time. His coach saw it as a "learning year" for Shareef. He expected Shareef to play a bigger role later. By the end of the season, he was scoring about 3.7 points and getting 2.9 rebounds per game.

In May 2015, Shareef got his first scholarship offer from USC. This was from a top college sports program (NCAA Division I). Soon after, he received offers from other big schools. These included Baylor, LSU, UCLA, and Kansas State.

Shareef stayed at Windward for his second year and improved a lot. In October 2015, he scored 23 points in a game against Bishop Alemany. This game was part of a big tournament. In December, scouts noticed him at the MaxPreps Holiday Classic. He became known as a player who could do many things. He was good at handling the ball, shooting, and defending.

On June 29, 2016, the Los Angeles Times announced that Shareef would move to Crossroads School. He was expected to be a key player there. On January 6, 2017, Shareef scored 15 points in a win against Brentwood. On February 17, he scored 20 points in a game against Mater Dei. In that game, he played against Bol Bol, another son of a former NBA player.

Choosing a College Team

Shareef O'Neal Crossroads (cropped)
Shareef O'Neal playing for Crossroads School in 2017

In April 2017, Shareef decided to play college basketball for Arizona. But on February 24, 2018, he changed his mind. This happened after ESPN reported that the FBI had heard talks about Arizona's coach, Sean Miller. The talks were about paying a player to join Arizona.

Because Shareef had not signed a final agreement, he could look for a new school easily. On February 27, he said he would go to UCLA. He officially signed with the UCLA Bruins in August.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Shareef O'Neal
PF
Los Angeles, CA Crossroads School (CA) 6 ft 9.5 in (2.07 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Feb 27, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 40  247Sports: 52  ESPN: 32
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

College Basketball Years

Playing for UCLA (2018–2020)

During summer practices, Shareef started having health problems. Doctors gave him a heart monitor to wear. On September 28, 2018, UCLA announced that he would miss the 2018–19 season. He was diagnosed with a heart condition by UCLA doctors. He had surgery in December.

He played in the Drew League during the summer. Later, he played in an exhibition game for the Bruins. He wore a special device during practice to help with research on his heart after surgery. But he did not wear it during games.

In April 2019, UCLA hired Mick Cronin as their new head coach. Shareef played his first game for UCLA in the 2019–20 season. He played six minutes but did not score. On December 14, 2019, he had his best game of the season. He scored eight points and got 11 rebounds.

On January 19, 2020, Shareef did not play in a game against California. This was the fifth time that season he did not play. On January 22, Shareef announced he was leaving UCLA. He had played as a backup, averaging 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

Playing for LSU (2020–2022)

On February 14, 2020, Shareef announced he was moving to Louisiana State University. His father had also played college basketball there. Shareef hurt his foot, which kept him from playing in the first few games of the 2020–21 season. He only played in 10 games that season.

He missed the first 12 games of the 2021–22 season while recovering from his foot injury. He played in 14 games, averaging 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds. After the season, he decided to try to transfer to another school.

On June 6, 2022, Shareef said he would enter the NBA draft. This happened after he was accidentally put on a list of players who had left the draft.

Starting His Pro Career

Playing for NBA G League Ignite

Shareef O'Neal was not chosen in the 2022 NBA draft. But he joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2022 NBA Summer League. On September 28, 2022, he signed with the NBA G League Ignite. He was named to the G League's first-ever Next Up Game for the 2022–23 season.

On October 18, 2024, Shareef signed with the Sacramento Kings. However, he was released the very next day. On October 27, he joined the Stockton Kings, but was then released on November 7.

Shareef O'Neal's Career Stats

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 UCLA Redshirt Did not play due to medical reasons
2019–20 UCLA 13 0 10.2 .321 .333 .474 2.9 .2 .3 .2 2.2
2020–21 LSU 10 0 14.5 .375 .182 .500 4.4 .0 .5 .5 2.8
2021–22 LSU 14 0 9.2 .500 .143 .467 2.1 .1 .1 .4 2.9
Career 37 0 11.0 .405 .208 .480 3.0 .1 .3 .4 2.6

See also

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