Shaquille O’Neal’s Son Reveals Real Reason for Keeping Relationships Private

Shareef O'Neal spoke about how he has to be careful when it comes to dating.

Shaquille O’Neal’s Son Reveals Real Reason for Keeping Relationships Private

Shaquille O'Neal (Right) and Shareef O'Neal (Left) (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Shareef O'Neal keeps his relationships private due to concerns over fake stories circulating in the media.
  • He faced challenges in his basketball career, including health issues and being undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft.
  • Shaquille O'Neal encouraged Shareef to model his game after Kobe Bryant and has now passed on brand responsibilities to him.

At one point, Shaquille O’Neal‘s eldest son Shareef O’Neal was an aspiring basketball player. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan, and Shareef had to give up on his NBA dreams and follow his father’s footsteps. Maybe it worked out for the best, as he would constantly be compared to Shaq.

Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most successful and dominant players in NBA history. Drafted as the number one pick in the 1992 NBA draft, Shaq went on to win four NBA championships, three Finals MVPs, one regular-season MVP and more during his 20-year NBA career.

Since his retirement in 2011, Shaq has been heavily involved in the business world. The financial savvy businessman has an estimated net worth of $500 million, largely due to his business deals and his contract with Inside the NBA, a popular halftime and postgame studio show for selected NBA on ESPN broadcasts. He is a popular figure on the show and has become a fan-favorite alongside Charles Barkley.

Shaq has a brand of his own called ‘Shaq’. But recently, Shaq revealed that he has stepped away and has passed on the responsibilities of his brand to his son, Shareef O’Neal as will be able to connect with the next generation better.

However, being a son to someone of Shaq’s stature is never easy. The cameras and publicity at such a young age can be overwhelming.

In a candid interview on WNBA star Angel Reese’s podcast, Unapologetically Angel, Shareef was asked why he is never seen in public with a girlfriend. Shareef said he has to be careful when it comes to his dating life.

There’s been times girls have faked a story. I have to be cautious about it.

It is never easy to be seen in the public eye constantly. With social media everywhere, fake stories are quick to circulate.

The internet reacts to Shareef O’Neal keeping his relationships private

As Shareef said, there have been times when girls have faked stories, which could have created problems in his personal life. It does not take long for fake stories to sell and go viral today.

Following his response, the internet were quick to react across social media.

The internet sided with Shareef and understood that being Shaq’s son comes with its pros and cons. Privacy is hard to have at that level.

Shaquille O’Neal encouraged Shareef O’Neal to model his game after Kobe Bryant

Before taking over his father’s brand, Shareef tried to get into the NBA. Shareef went undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft but was signed by the Lakers for the Summer League. He joined the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League and he was there for only one month.

During his time in college basketball, Shareef began dealing with health issues and had to go through open-heart surgery. While he did recover and continued to play, it was a very difficult time for the O’Neal family.

Shaq helped Shareef when the pressure was starting to build and encouraged him to model his game after elite NBA scorers such as Kobe Bryant.

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Shaquille O’Neal and Shareef O’Neal (Credits: Fox Sports)

During the interview, Shareef revealed what it was like to go through that.

I didn’t really watch my dad’s game growing up, I watched a lot of other people like Kobe, Tracy McGrady and my dad kinda fell into that. He would like ‘This is what I want you to play like’. He would monitor my workouts.

While his basketball career did not work out, he is now working as a creative strategist for the Shaq brand.

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