The journey of Shaq’s oldest son Shareef is taking another cool and interesting turn. Not long ago, we were posting about how Shaq had invited his son to join in helping his dad at Reebok… Turning the company’s sports apparel division around with new looks and experiences. Last time we posted, Shareef was getting ready to head “down under” to join an Australian professional hoops league, but changed his mind to join Shaq at Reebok.
Well now, while Shareer may be working at Reebok in some capacity, he’s got a new gig as well.. An NBA contract! Huge congrats and best wishes to O’Neal, who has just signed on with the Sacramento Kings. Now Shaq will get to watch his son play, right here in the US.
Interesting that the deal is with the Kings, too. Not too long ago, Shaq was a minority owner of the Kings. He sold his ownership position when he became a corporate spokesman for a company that has an interest in sports betting. NBA ownership rules say you can’t do both – own a team and be part of any operation that gambles on sports results. No doubt a good idea!
It was Shareef’s mom – and Shaq’s former wife – Shaunie Henderson, that announced the deal for her son on an InstaGram post. On her socials, Henderson talked about her pride in her son, and how he’s never given up on his dream to play in the NBA.
The BIG Podcast with SHAQ
From her post just this past weekend (as of this posting date): “I’m so proud of you @shareefoneal… I can’t even talk about this without crying. I know this was always your goal and the odds you beat to finally see it happen is beyond amazing.”
Her post was a collection of photos and video of her son. “I prayed for this day. I prayed that you would never give up, that you wouldn’t be discouraged. I know you had some doubtful days but you consistently pushed through. This is so much bigger than basketball.”
Henderson called herself Shareef’s “biggest, loudest fan/supporter/cheerleader/prayer warrior.” She concluded her caption with a simple yet powerful, “Let’s go Kings!”
Shareef has had a long and sometimes strange journey to get to the NBA. Most recently, he played for the NBA’s G League, a developmental program for players, coaches and refs alike. He played the 22022-23 season for the Las Vegas Ignite.
While the Ignite is no longer in business, there are other NBA “minor league” teams still out there. Starting out this season, O’Neal will play for the Stockton Kings, also a G League program. But with the Stockton (California) team’s close connection to the full-on NBA Kings organization, there’s a chance Shareef could be “called up” to the majors, much like how baseball sends players up and down the different minor leagues and up to the majors as needed.
As we said, it’s been a journey for Shareef, not just in basketball, but in life in general. During his college days back in 2018, Shareef was diagnosed with a right anomalous coronary artery, a congenital heart condition that could have killed him if not found and treated immediately. He did have successful surgery for the condition, but basically he had to learn to regain his strength – even learn to walk again – afterwards.
Hopefully, Shareef will make an appearance in the NBA this upcoming season. We look forward to seeing that happen, and to hearing dad’s reaction, when it does!