Undrafted forward Shareef O'Neal, the son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, is joining the G League Ignite on a deal worth six figures, sources told The Athletic's Shams Charania.
O'Neal played for the Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League squad but didn't secure a professional contract with the NBA side, thereby maintaining his status as a free agent. He played in six games, registering 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per contest.
Before this year's draft, the 22-year-old revealed that his father disagreed with his decision to turn pro.
"He wanted me to stay in school," O'Neal said. "I wanted to better myself through this. He knows I'm working out with teams. But I'm not going to lie; we ain't talked about this. I'm kind of just going through it. He didn't do any pre-draft workouts; he just got straight on the (Orlando Magic), so it's a different grind.
"So, he didn't want me to do this, and I know he probably doesn't want me saying this, but sorry. We're both grown; we'll get past it."
A four-star recruit out of high school, O'Neal first enrolled at UCLA but redshirted his freshman year due to a heart condition, which he underwent open-heart surgery for. The following year, he played 13 games off the bench for the Bruins, averaging 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds.
He then transferred to LSU, his father's alma mater, but failed to solidify a starting role with the Tigers. In two seasons in Baton Rouge, he appeared in 24 games combined as a reserve and averaged 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds.
