IN PHOTOS: Shaq’s son Shareef O'Neal goes down memory lane as Lakers’ legend celebrates 52nd birthday

Shareef O'Neal paid tribute to his father and NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal in a heartfelt Instagram post. The LA Lakers legend turned 52 years old on March 6.

The 24-year-old posted unseen pictures of himself and his father and captioned them:

"Happy birthday twin! Love you man. Thank you for everything !"

Shaq and his son share a special relationship, which many fans have witnessed through their social media posts. Shareef recounted a motivational incident when he underwent open heart surgery in December 2018. In an interview, he shared that his speedy recovery was because of his father's encouragement.

“I was just waking up; they were teaching me how to walk again, and my dad was like," Shareef O'Neal recalled his father saying, "‘If you come back from this, you're the baddest man on the planet.’”

“At first, I didn't really hear him, but as I started to be more conscious of what was going on, that was literally the only thing I kind of remember from that surgery, from the whole process."

According to Shareef O'Neal, who is the best hooper in his family?

Shaq's children have acquired his play prowess and hooping talents. His oldest son, Shareef O'Neal, aims to make his mark in the G-League. His daughter, Me'Arah, is trying to make a place in women's basketball.

Shareef was asked who was the best basketball player in the family. The Hall of Famer's son said his sister, Me'Arah, is the most talented O'Neal. He praised her extraordinary and exceptional talent and talked highly about her dedication to the game.

"My sister Me’Arah," Shareef O'Neal said. "Mcdonald's All-American going to the University of Florida. I've always said this my whole life that she was the best one out of all of us. You ask my dad, he's going to say the same thing that Me'Arah is the most skilled and talented O'Neal."

"The thing about her when she was younger, she never wanted to play with her age group. She wanted to play against me and my friends. She's like, 'When y'all go play basketball, let me know.'"

Shareef O'Neal has been decent in the G-League. He averages 5.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in the 2022–23 season.