Lakers News: Shaq's Son, Shareef O'Neal, Inks Six-Figure Deal with G-League Team
The son of Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal is taking the next step of his NBA career, but it won't be with the purple and gold. Lakers summer league roster invitee, Shareef O'Neal has officially signed a deal with the G-League Ignite.
The Athletic's Shams Charania was one of the first to report the news.
"After playing for the Lakers in Summer League, Shareef O’Neal – the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal – is signing a six-figure contract with the NBA G League Ignite, sources tell@TheAthletic @Stadium."
In six games on the Lakers summer league team, O'Neal averaged 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, but did miss a handful of games.
The wiry big man showed flashes of his lofty pedigree in Las Vegas and at the California Classic, but the 6'10" LA native still has a long way to go before becoming a solid NBA rotation player.
During his predraft workout with the Lakers, Shareef admitted that his famous father was not in favor of him turning pro instead of of going back to college for his fourth season.
"He wanted me to stay in school. I wanted to better myself through this. He knows I'm working out with teams. But I'm not going to lie; we ain't talked about this. I'm kind of just going through it. He didn't do any pre-draft workouts; he just got straight on the (Orlando Magic), so it's a different grind."
Unlike most G-League teams, Ignite is not affiliated with any specific team, but rather, is a developmental team that serves as an alternative to playing a lone year of college ball for top high school prospects. The team does however compete against the rest of the G-League teams.
His time of the Ignite should allow O'Neal to continue to develop his game and hopefully, sign with a NBA sooner rather than later.
