The Los Angeles Lakers will soon send an O’Neal on the court for the first time in 18 years after signing Shareef O’Neal for the 2022 Summer League.
Shareef declared for the 2022 NBA Draft after three unlucky seasons in college. His dad, Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal, wanted the 22-year-old to wait another year before turning pro. But Shareef decided to get into the NBA on his terms and went through the draft process this year — which included a workout in L.A. earlier this week.
The 6-foot-9 forward went undrafted on Thursday, but the Lakers invited him to join their Summer League roster. Shareef has accepted the Purple and Gold’s offer and then showed gratefulness for the opportunity on Twitter, sharing a short clip of himself wearing a Lakers jersey when he was little:
?? THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY @Lakers ! pic.twitter.com/z0TeRVVGed
— Shareef O’Neal (@SSJreef) June 24, 2022
Shareef won’t be the only child of an NBA great on the Lakers’ Summer League team this year. Scotty Pippen Jr., NBA Hall of Famer Scotty Pippen’s son, will join him after the Vanderbilt guard signed a two-way deal with L.A. as an undrafted free agent — alongside Syracuse’s Cole Swider.
The group for the Las Vegas tournament will also include UConn’s R.J. Cole, Houston’s Fabian White Jr., and the Lakers’ 35th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Michigan State guard Max Christie.
Swider ‘excited’ to have joined Lakers
After penning his contract, Swider said moving to L.A. was his best option following draft night. The 23-year-old added it was a “blessing” to join the Lakers and that he “couldn’t be more excited” to start the next chapter of his career.
Swider averaged 13.9 points on 41% from 3-point range after transferring from Villanova for his senior year, suggesting he has the potential to become a valuable stretch forward that the Purple and Gold badly lacked last year.
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