Shaquille O’Neal was one of college basketball’s biggest stars during the late 80s and early 90s. Both literally and figuratively.
Shaq, who was 7-1 and 325 pounds during his college days, played three seasons at LSU before being selected No. 1 overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Magic. O’Neal averaged 21.6 points, 13.5 rebounds and a whopping 4.6 blocks per game during his career and won the AP Player of the Year during his final season.
It has been 30 years since Shaq last suited up for LSU, but there is an O’Neal on the team right now. That would be Shaq’s son, Shareef O’Neal. And while he’s not quite the same player that his father was, he is a role player on this year’s Tiger’s squad, which earned a No. 6 seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Here’s everything to know about Shareef O’Neal as he prepares for his first potential NCAA Tournament action.
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Who is Shareef O’Neal?
Shareef O’Neal is a 22-year-old forward who plays collegiately at LSU. He is a junior who has three seasons of college basketball experience but is currently best known for being Shaquille O’Neal’s son.
The younger O’Neal (6-10, 225 pounds) was a top-50 recruit coming out of the Crossroads School. He ranked No. 32 overall on the ESPN 100 in 2018 and had offers to play at numerous Division I programs including LSU, UCLA, USC, Arizona, Georgetown and California.
O’Neal first committed to Arizona but eventually flipped to UCLA. He spent his first two NCAA seasons with the Bruins. He redshirted during the 2018-19 campaign after it was discovered that he had a heart condition that required surgery to repair. He returned to the court for the 2019-20 season and played sparingly.
O’Neal saw action in 13 games during his first season of action and averaged 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds before announcing that he would transfer on Jan. 22, 2020. UCLA coach Steve Alford had been replaced by Mick Cronin before the season, and O’Neal was playing merely as a reserve.
As such, he opted to head elsewhere, and that’s how O’Neal landed at his father’s alma mater.
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Shareef O’Neal’s LSU career
The younger O’Neal still hasn’t been able to earn anything other than a reserve role at LSU. He has dealt with a nagging foot injury that caused him to miss time during both the 2020-21 season and the 2021-22 season. In total, he has played in 23 games for the Tigers, averaging 3 points and 3.2 rebounds over 11.7 minutes per game.
Still, O’Neal has done enough to impress his teammates when he has been able to get on the floor. After he totaled 9 points and a team-high 7 rebounds during a Feb. 26 game against Missouri, LSU point guard Xavier Pinson spoke well of him.
“Shareef brings a lot to the table,” Pinson said, per the Lafayette Daily Advertiser. “He’s aggressive at the rim, rebounds, and he guards and blocks shots. So if we can get him a few minutes in there at any time, I feel like that’s good for us in any way.”
O’Neal played in three of the Tigers’ five games down the stretch. It’s unclear how much LSU will use him during the 2022 NCAA Tournament, but the young forward is looking forward to it — whatever his role may be.
March madness let’s get it
— Shareef O’Neal (@SSJreef) March 14, 2022
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Shareef O’Neal stats
O’Neal has averaged just 2.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game during his college career. That said, he has shown improvement in each of his three collegiate seasons despite being unable to play consistently due to injury.
Below are O’Neal’s career stats. All numbers are on a per-game basis save for games played.
| Season | Games played | Minutes | Points | Rebounds | Field Goal % |
| 2019-20 | 13 | 10.2 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 32.1 |
| 2020-21 | 10 | 14.5 | 2.8 | 4.4 | 37.5 |
| 2021-22 | 13 | 9.5 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 51.6 |
| Career | 39 | 11.1 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 41.0 |
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Shareef O’Neal highlights
O’Neal has played sparingly during his college days, so there aren’t a ton of highlights of him at that level. That said, you can see a bit of his skill set on display — particularly his length and ability to handle the ball at 6-10 — in the video below.
And if you want a look at his ceiling, you can check out the highlights from his high school days that led to him being a highly coveted recruit.