“I don’t know if he has that dog in him. He can’t be playing off the damn O’Neal name” — Robert Horry isn't happy with Shareef O'Neal
Shareef O'Neal and Robert Horry
© Darren Yamashita and Bob Donnan - USA TODAY Sports
Unlike his father, Shareef O'Neal's journey to the NBA isn't as smooth sailing. After spending 3 years in college, Shaq's firstborn went undrafted and joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the Las Vegas Summer League tournament in July. During the summer league, all eyes were on Shareef for apparent reasons, and let's just say, one particular former teammate of Shaq wasn't happy with what he saw.
Robert Horry doesn't think Shareef can carry Shaq's legacy
That former teammate of Shaq is 7-time champion Robert Horry, who watched Shareef up close in Las Vegas. According to Big Shot Bob, Shareef's performance in Las Vegas proved that he doesn't have the mentality to be great now and has a long way to go before he can make it on an NBA roster.
"I picked up my phone and I was getting ready to call Shaq like 'Yo man, you gotta tell your son…he can't be playing off the damn O'Neal name. He gotta go out there and play.' You gotta put forth some more effort man. You know Shareef's such a nice kid, that I don't know if he has that dog in him to go out there and take what he wants," Horry said on the Big Shot Bob podcast.
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Those are heavy words from Horry, but it did seem like he was voicing his concern as someone looking out for Shaq's son. Horry's assessment of Shareef was also utterly fair as the latter didn't exactly catch the attention of scouts and general managers in Las Vegas.
In 6 games with the Lakers, O'Neal averaged just 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds a game in 10.9 minutes. Shareef showed a few glimpses of his potential, but it wasn't enough to merit an NBA contract.
This isn't the end for Shareef
Luckily for Shareef, he's just getting started. After his mediocre Summer League stint, an NBA G League team, Ignite, signed him to a six-figure contract. The Atheltic's Shams Charania reported that team Ignite is intrigued with O'Neal's athleticism and pedigree and believes he can develop into the player he wants to be.
In the G League, Shareef has a chance to stand out with his experience in the Summer League and improve his game so he can hopefully follow in his father's footsteps one day. The road has been a long and tough one for Shareef, but one thing's for sure: he isn't going to give up just like that.
