Shareef O’Neal lately labored out for the Los Angeles Lakers, hoping to observe in his Corridor of Famer father’s footsteps within the NBA. However in line with Shareef, Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t imagine his son ought to be understanding for the Lakers and believes his oldest son ought to’ve stayed in class.
Shareef spoke to the media Monday after his pre-draft exercise with the Lakers, and the subject of his father got here to the forefront.
“I felt like in faculty; I wasn’t getting sufficient alternative. I wasn’t feeling like myself in faculty,” Shareef stated. “I obtained that invite to the G League Elite camp, and that opened lots of doorways for me. I really feel prefer it actually introduced me again and form of confirmed slightly bit (of) what I can do. And as soon as I began getting calls from groups to work out, I used to be like, ‘Man, that is what I wish to do.’ I imply, I’m right here; it’s proper in entrance of me, so simply go for it. So I continued to work.”
However his father, the No. 1 general choose within the 1992 draft, most popular the 22-year-old to spend one other 12 months in faculty.
“He didn’t like that concept in any respect,” O’Neal stated. “It sucks that he didn’t like that concept, however I’m a grown man, I’m 22 years previous, I could make my very own choices. It was proper in entrance of my face. I’m not backing up from it. I’m going to go get it if I see it. That’s simply how I’m constructed. I take every little thing the identical method. I took my coronary heart surgical procedure the identical method. Being cleared was proper in entrance of me, being wholesome was proper in entrance of me, and I went for it. I’m not backing down from no person. I do know he’s an NBA legend; I do know he’s my dad, nevertheless it was proper in entrance of me; I needed to go get it. So, if he likes it or not, it’s probably not going to cease me from doing what I wish to do.”
Shaq didn’t graduate from LSU earlier than being drafted to the NBA however finally returned to LSU to finish his diploma. He then obtained his grasp’s on the College of Phoenix on-line and a doctorate at Barry College in Florida.
“He is aware of I’m understanding with groups. However I’m not going to lie; we ain’t talked about this. I’m form of simply going via it. He didn’t do any pre-draft exercises; he simply obtained straight on the [Orlando Magic], so it’s a distinct grind.
“So, he didn’t need me to do that, and I do know he in all probability doesn’t need me saying this, however sorry. We’re each grown; we’ll get previous it.”
The youthful O’Neal performed 37 collegiate video games in a single season with UCLA and his father’s father’s alma mater, LSU. He has profession averages of two.6 factors and three rebounds per recreation on 40.5 % taking pictures from the sphere.
The submit Shareef O’Neal Says Father ‘Didn’t Like the Idea’ of Him Staying in Draft appeared first on SLAM.
Shareef O’Neal Says Father ‘Didn’t Like the Idea’ of Him Staying in Draft