Shareef O'Neal, son of Shaq, works out for Wizards originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
WASHINGTON -- LSU forward Shareef O'Neal visited the Wizards for a pre-draft workout on Friday and, given the timing, it would have been understandable if he saw it as just another step along the way. It was after he worked out for the Miami Heat and right before he is set to work out for the Los Angeles Lakers. Those are the two teams his NBA legend father, Shaquille, won championships with while Shareef was growing up.
Shareef, though, was completely present and grateful to be standing where he was because not long ago playing basketball, much less having a chance to make the NBA, wasn't possible. He had to undergo open-heart surgery in 2018 after the UCLA medical staff noticed an irregularity in his heart when he arrived on campus as a freshman.
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Shareef's life was at risk, but he made it through the procedure and has now been given a wonderful second chance to live out the dream he's had since he was a kid.
"I didn’t think this would ever happen, being able to do NBA workouts. This year I got better and I woke up one day and I was like ‘I want to go to the NBA.’ I had that dream going into high school, but sitting in that surgery I wasn’t really worried about basketball. I just wanted to get healthy," he said.
"After all this I’ve went through, to make it to the NBA would be a dream come true. I would make my family proud and also be a role model for the kids who went through heart surgery."
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Shareef played 13 games at UCLA before transferring to LSU, his father's alma mater. Just getting back to playing at all wasn't easy, but a former Wizards player helped him along the way.
Jeff Green also had open heart surgery and has gone on to enjoy a long and successful NBA career. The Georgetown University and Northwestern High School alum has advised Shareef after the procedure.
"He told me to keep going. Seeing him play after that, that was a real big inspiration. I call him Uncle Jeff Green. Shoutout to him, he brought up my spirits a lot when I talked to him," Shareef said.
As he spoke, Shareef flashed the smile of a gentle giant, just like his father who was not only one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball, but has transcended the sport because of his infectious personality. Shareef says his dad has given him plenty of advice along the way, but also expressed the value of figuring out things on his own. Shaq says that in some cases he learned more during his own playing career by trial-and-error rather than by being taught.
Shaq has taught Shareef plenty, however. Shareef remembers Shaq coaching his AAU team opposite Bradley Beal, whose team Brad Beal Elite has become a powerhouse on the circuit. Shareef says their games were such a big deal that fans lined up out the door and down the block. And the games were tense with raucous atmospheres and physical play.
Shareef saw Beal working out at the Wizards' facility and approached him to say hi.
"Bradley’s been my boy. He’s seen me since I was in high school. He’s real cool and I love his game," Shareef said.
Shareef said he measured in at 6-foot-11 at the Wizards workout, an inch taller than he was listed at LSU last year. He's not quite as tall as his father, who is 7-foot-1, but he's not far off.
Shareef, though, will have to gain some muscle to truly resemble Shaq, who was the most physically dominant player the game has ever seen. In the early 2000s, NBA defenders had as good a chance at stopping him as a seal does evading a great white shark.
Shareef will head home for a few days before going to the place formally known as the Staples Center, where his father won three championships and dominated the early 2000s alongside the late Kobe Bryant. He will walk the same hallways, play on the same court and put on the same colors his dad once did.
"I basically grew up in that arena. I was born, then my dad and Kobe won [championships]. Kobe was like a mentor to me. Obviously, then my dad. I’ve been around that gym since I was born, so I know that place like the back of my hand," he said
"But I take everything one day at a time. Today, I’m focused on the Wizards. I’m not worried about any other workouts right now. When I get to L.A., I’ll be focused on the Lakers. It’s going to be fun playing in the gym that my dad won championships in. It’s going to be fun."
There will be some natural emotions for Shareef when he works out for the Lakers. But whether it's them or another team, he's just looking for a chance to keep his basketball dream going.
"Being able to play the sport again and being healthy keeps me motivated. Every day I take off my shirt and look at the scar and that keeps me motivated," he said.