There’s a lot of hype surrounding Shareef O’Neal. Part of this is because his dad is Shaq, but a much larger portion of this is because he can really play. O’Neal is a highly-regarded four-star prospect in the class of 2018 who has signed a letter of intent to attend the University of Arizona.
With all of the anticipating regarding his future, it was somewhat surprising that O’Neal was not named a McDonald’s All-American. Considered one of the highest honors a high school basketball player can receive, O’Neal wasn’t among the 24 players who made it to the game. There are still plenty of big names — future pros like Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, and Cameron Reddish were all on the list — but people notice when Shaq’s ultra-talented son isn’t among those selected.
O’Neal tweeted about how he planned on using this as an opportunity to motivate himself. Beyond that, he received some encouragement from the best basketball player in the world, as LeBron James posted some kind words about him on Instagram.
In response, O’Neal tweeted out his appreciation, both for this post and for his relationship with James on a person level.
https://twitter.com/SSJreef/status/953650861489627136
Sure, O’Neal was probably really unhappy when he wasn’t named an All-American, but he’s good enough that it won’t be a massive deterrent as he goes through what could be a really fun career. Besides, he has the support of LeBron James, so things are still going pretty well for him.
