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Shareef O’Neal, the son of Hall of Fame big man Shaquille O’Neal, is eligible to be selected in the 2022 NBA Draft per Shams Charania. The NBA informed teams O’Neal is eligible after there was some confusion over his status with the withdrawal deadline.
LSU junior Shareef O'Neal – son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal – is now eligible to be selected in the 2022 NBA draft, the league informed teams. A prior list of withdrawals mistakenly included O'Neal. The 6-foot-10 prospect stays in Draft and has upcoming team workouts.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 6, 2022
O’Neal spent one season at UCLA before transferring to LSU, which was his father’s alma mater. The 6-10 forward has been unable to make a major impact on the floor, averaging 2.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game during his college career. Even though he’s got strong lineage, it’s hard to see a team using a draft pick on him.
The most likely path for O’Neal to play in the NBA is to impress scouts at Summer League before latching onto a G-League roster. There’s a chance O’Neal could land a two-way contract, although those usually go to players who get drafted. If there’s enough injuries or team battling the luxury tax line, O’Neal could have some value as a big man for those squads.