Shortly after the 2022 NBA Draft ended on Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Lakers reached agreements with the sons of NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Scottie Pippen.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Shareef O’Neal has agreed to play in the NBA Summer League with the Lakers. That’s the same franchise Shaq won three championships and NBA Finals MVPs with.
O’Neal, 6’10”, worked out for the Lakers in recent days. He began his college basketball career at UCLA, where he redshirted in his first year due to heart surgery. He played one season at UCLA (2019-20) before transferring to LSU, where he spent the last two seasons. In the 2021-22 season, O’Neal averaged 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZhyCE9LmOM
Shareef recently admitted that he butted heads with Shaq over the decision to go pro. The 22-year-old battled health issues throughout his collegiate career and didn’t put up big numbers. His father wanted him to stay in school, but he ultimately decided to go pro.
As for the other Hall of Famer’s son, Charania reports that the Lakers have agreed to a two-day deal with Scotty Pippen Jr.
Pippen, 6’3″, was one of the top scorers in the country over the last two seasons at Vanderbilt, averaging over 20 points per game each season. He also dished out more than four assists per game over the last two seasons.
So, the Lakers will certainly be an interesting Summer League squad to follow with O’Neal and Pippen in the mix.
Here’s a look at how the basketball world is reacting to O’Neal and Pippen agreeing to deals with the Lakers:
Shareef O'Neal will join the Lakers Summer League squad, but he's looking to carve his own path to the NBA pic.twitter.com/MpcymT5HQ7
— SB Nation (@SBNation) June 24, 2022
So there's a chance LeBron will wind up having played with Shaq and his son. https://t.co/eLgn81pMSS
— Ryan Phillips (@RumorsandRants) June 24, 2022
https://twitter.com/teamziller/status/1540193045764747265
Still think he could have a good future in the NBA https://t.co/Y08Cd9ObiX
— Tom Green (@Tomas_Verde) June 24, 2022