Former LSU forward Shareef O'Neal signs six-figure contract with NBA G League Ignite

Shareef O’Neal, the son of NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal, has signed with the NBA G League Ignite, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Monday. The exact amount of the contract has yet to be announced, but it is said to worth six figures.

Shareef O’Neal spent the past two seasons at LSU, his dad’s alma mater. There he averaged 2.8 points and 3.1 rebounds across 11.4 minutes per game. The 6-foot-9 forward previously announced he would enter the transfer portal this offseason. However, he later decided to skip his senior season altogether by entering the 2022 NBA Draft.

Although Shareef O’Neal did not hear his name called last month, he still got an opportunity to play in the NBA Summer League with the Los Angeles Lakers. Across six total games, he averaged 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in just 10.9 minutes.

A four-star prospect in the 2018 class, Shareef O’Neal ranked as the No. 10 power forward and No. 39 overall player according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. He originally committed to play for UCLA but spent just two years in Los Angeles before transferring to LSU. He was also recruited by Arizona, USC and Georgetown out of high school.

Now Shareef O’Neal will hope he can do enough in the G League to land with an NBA team. The Ignite team was created in the 2020-21 season as an alternative to college basketball, allowing some of the nation’s top high school prospects the chance to make up to $500,000 right away instead of going to school for a year. Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green played on the Ignite, as did this year’s No. 8 overall pick Dyson Daniels.

The Ignite is not affiliated with any NBA franchise and plays just 10-12 exhibition games each year outside of the G League’s traditional schedule. With that being the case, Shareef O’Neal will be free to sign with whomever he chooses once his time with the team is up.