Shareef O'Neal Names LeBron as His Top NBA Player
Shareef O’Neal, son of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, has made headlines by declaring that his all-time favorite NBA player isn’t his father. Instead, he places LeBron James at the top of his list.
During an exclusive chat at the 2025 ESPYS held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on July 16, Shareef, 25, shared his basketball preferences. “LeBron number one, Kobe Bryant number two, and then my dad is number three,” he stated, adding a light-hearted note about his father's reaction. “He knows that. LeBron, Kobe, my dad.”
Despite the rankings, Shareef noted that Shaquille is supportive of his son’s basketball allegiances. “He doesn’t mind,” Shareef explained. “There would be times when he’d play against Kobe or LeBron and he’d wait after so we could meet them. I would go to his games in a LeBron jersey. So, it’s funny.”
Shaquille O’Neal, now 53, had a storied career with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won three consecutive championships alongside Bryant from 2000 to 2002. He also played with James for one season on the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2009-2010 season.
In a more personal reflection, Shareef discussed the impact of his open-heart surgery in 2018 on their relationship. “That’s the first time I actually heard my dad say he was scared,” he recalled. “I was like, ‘Wow.’ I’d never heard him say he was scared before. That kind of changed my mind and my feeling and everything. It was very touching. Me and him, we’ve been as close as we’ve ever been since that surgery.”
These days, Shareef describes his father as having the spirit of a teenager. “He still wants to be a kid,” Shareef said. “He still watches cartoons, all that stuff. I feel like people don’t know what he does behind the videos they see. He’s a freshman in high school. He’s still a prankster. He is a really cool dude. People love him for a reason.”
Beyond their personal bond, the duo is also collaborating in business ventures. Recently, Shaquille was appointed president of Reebok Basketball and has enlisted Shareef’s help to rejuvenate the brand. “I see myself taking this brand over one day,” Shareef remarked about the opportunity. “My dad set this up for us. He wants us to take over his companies and brands, and I was really the first one to kind of step into the field with Reebok.”
Shareef expressed confidence in revitalizing Reebok, stating, “I got to be confident. I got to speak stuff into existence. I got to take all these other brands out. I got to bring it back.”
