Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal is apparently jealous of the fact that LeBron James and his son Bronny are becoming the first father-son duo to play together in the NBA.
“I would’ve loved to have had that title first.”
– Shaq on Bronny and LeBron James being the first father/son duo to play together in the NBA pic.twitter.com/WH0P7JWUv4
— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) October 18, 2024
O’Neal has a son, Shareef, who played in the G League not all that long ago. Across 11 Showcase Cup games played with the G League Ignite in the 2022-23 season, the younger O’Neal averaged 4.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 0.5 blocks per contest. In the G League’s regular season, he averaged 5.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 0.7 blocks per game.
Prior to his stint in the G League, he saw action in three collegiate seasons, the final two of which came with his father’s alma mater in Louisiana State University. He never quite established himself as a star at the collegiate level, as he never averaged more than 2.9 points per game in any season. Health issues, including a heart condition, changed the trajectory of his career.
The elder O’Neal also has another son, Shaqir, who is currently playing at the collegiate level. He’s a bit unproven right now and is hoping to change that.
The younger James didn’t enjoy a storied college basketball career by any stretch. He played just one season at the University of Southern California before declaring for the 2024 NBA Draft, and he averaged 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest with the Trojans.
But instead of going undrafted like the Shareef O’Neal did, the younger James was selected by the Lakers with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. What’s mind-boggling is that the younger James also had a health scare of his own before he appeared in a game at the collegiate level, surviving a cardiac arrest.
While the Lakers are making history by pairing the younger James with the elder James, it’s unlikely that the father-son duo will be teammates in the NBA for an extended period of time. The elder James is seemingly nearing the end of his pro career, as he’s currently the oldest player in the NBA and has 21 seasons in the league under his belt.
The elder James is also nearing his 40th birthday, as he will reach that age milestone in December.
The younger James and elder James have already been on the floor together for the Lakers in the preseason, but it remains to be seen how many chances the duo will have to take the floor together when the 2024-25 regular season kicks off. The Athletic’s Jovan Buha reported in August that Los Angeles plans to have the younger James spend much of the campaign in the G League.
