"He wanted me to stay in school; I wanted to better myself through this" - Shareef O'Neal reveals father Shaquille O’Neal did not want him to enter NBA draft

Shareef O'Neal had a pre-draft workout for the LA Lakers on Tuesday. O'Neal is one of the prospects looking to get selected in Thursday's draft. However, Shareef revealed that his father, Shaquille O'Neal, did not want him to enter this year's draft.

In a pre-draft news conference (h/t ESPN), Shareef was asked about his Hall of Fame father. The 22-year-old prospect noted that O'Neal wanted him to stay in school and finish his studies. The father and son butted heads before Shareef eventually declared for the draft.

"We kind of bump heads about this process," Shareef said. "He wanted me to stay in school. 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."

Shareef continued:

"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."

Shareef O'Neal had a difficult time in college for UCLA and LSU. He had to undergo heart surgery in 2018 before playing just 13 games the following season. O'Neal transferred to LSU but never really took off in the last two seasons. He averaged just 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in his second season at LSU.

In addition to the LA Lakers, Shareef O'Neal also worked out for his father's former teams, the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also worked out for the Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards.

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Will Shareef O'Neal get drafted?

Shareef O'Neal of Louisiana State University

Shareef O'Neal is one of three LSU Tigers hoping to get selected in the NBA draft. O'Neal is not one of the top prospects in the class, but he has had workouts with several teams. Koki Riley of Yahoo! Sports reckons Shareef could go undrafted.

O'Neal has the length to be successful in the NBA but lacks shooting ability. He was left off several mock drafts with just a few days to go. Riley did mention that a team like the Houston Rockets might be interested in adding Shareef to their roster.

The NBA draft is on June 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. There will be 58 picks to be made instead of the usual 60. The Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat lost their second-round picks due to tampering violations.