Shareef O’Neal was once a basketball prodigy and is the son of one of the most unstoppable forces in NBA history, whose post-career endeavors have elevated him to a fortune of $400 million.
Shaquille O’Neal loves all of his children and he’s always been there to help them recover from life’s setbacks and plan for their futures.
He also lets them make their own life choices.
Shareef’s college career at UCLA was immediately thrown off course when at 18-years-old he was diagnosed with an anomalous corporate artery.
In 2018, Shareef underwent open-heart surgery due to a congenital heart defect that caused an artery to grow in the wrong place.
With his family’s full support, Shareef recovered and continued to chase his dream. His legendary dad respected Shareef’s resilience, but really just wanted his son to try something else in life.
After all, when your dad is worth a cool half a billy as one of the most recognizable brands in the world, there’s probably career opportunities in a number of corporate enterprises, restaurants and chains.
Shaq Didn’t Want Son Shareef To Enter NBA Or Go To Australia
According to reports, Shaq didn’t want his son to enter the NBA. Shareef signed a six-figure deal with the G League Ignite in the summer of 2022, playing in 20 games in 2022-23 where he averaged 5.6 points and 3.2 rebounds.
However, this was also short-lived as the team played its last game on March 28 before ending its operations.
Shareef says he considered trying something new and going to play 7500 miles away in Australia for Waverly of the NBL.
Shaq knew he had to do something drastic if he wanted to keep his boy close, so her urged against it initially and then came with another game plan.
During a conversation with “Then They Rose,” Shareef recalled his father calling him and asking him to spend Thanksgiving together.
“We’re sitting we’re on the plane he’s like Australia’s far all this like you know you don’t have to go to Australia and I’m kind of like yeah I kind of just wanted to move I don’t know why just was I was like let me just go try something new and I was going to move to Australia,” Shareef told “Then They Rose.”
NBA Career Wasn’t In Cards For Shareef
After dealing with heart surgery in his first college season, Shareef transferred to LSU, where he suffered unexpected foot injuries in 2020 and 2021, which set back his progress.
Similarly to Bronny James, who experienced heart problems as a freshman at USC, Shareef played for the Lakers in the 2022 Summer League, where he averaged 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. Those flashes weren’t enough for him to get drafted in the NBA so he took a crack at the Ignite team.
Shaq and Allen Iverson Run Reebok Valued At $2.46B
Shaq is always making major power moves and one of his biggest corporate maneuvers after being the first Black man ever named to Papa John’s board of directors, came in October 2023 when the Hall of Fame center and four-time NBA champion was appointed as the president of Reebok with Allen Iverson as vice president.
The brand was valued to be $2.46 billion in 2022 and now Shaq’s in control of the entire vision and future of one of sports’ most notable brands.
The Big Diesel has already locked down the women’s game by bringing Angel Reese into the Reebok loop. He’s head of the company’s entire rebranding process.
Naturally, needing a young and hip mind that he could confer with and learn from and trust, Shaq felt it was time to bring Shareef into the fold and make the brainstorm of Reebok’s evolution a family affair.
Shaq Tells His Son He Needs Him To Help Run Reebok
Shaq laid out a plan that would be tough for Shareef to turn down.
Shareef recalls: “Maybe the president of Reebok, he’s like can you do me a favor this year can you help me rebrand Reebok I’ll let you help redesign the shoes … redesign the clothes, help sign players. He’s like, ‘I really need your help,’” he said.
Shareef seems excited about his new job, saying, “My job for Reebok right now is kind of the bringing in the culture connecting the culture to Reebok so I took a year from playing professionally.”
Shareef admitted being moved by his father’s request and that was enough to make him put Australia on the back burner, take a year off from his basketball pursuits and invest in a collaboration with his dad.
Shareef announced on social that he’s not leaving his basketball dreams behind altogether but is working on something that takes precedence right now.
“Guys, I’ve been working along side my father with rebranding Reebok brand.. and we will get it back to the top. I WILL BE HOOPING AGAIN, I know I’ve been missing and haven’t been posting what I’m doing but I did not stop! I will be back soon! Just want to help out my dad,” Shareef said.
Shareef, who has been friends with everyone from Bronny James to the late Kobe Bryant to Scottie Pippen Jr., will play a lead role with helping Reebok get people to reconnect with the brand and compete with giants like Nike and Adidas.
Reebok Ranks Behind Nike, Adidas, Champion In Brand Popularity
Reebok is the fourth-most popular brand, but it is a distant fourth.
According to a 2023 Statista survey, Nike and Adidas are the top two most well-known sportswear brands in the United States, with 94 percent brand awareness each. Reebok is just behind Champion, which is at 88 percent. Shareef is fortunate to have a dad that can facilitate such a transition. Now it’s on him to offer his touch to history in the making.
