"None of them in the league": Hoops fans react to high school clip of Shaquille O'Neal's son Shareef O'Neal facing Ron Artest III

While many NBA sons made it big, like Steph Curry, some, like Shareef O'Neal, didn't have the same success. While O'Neal's hopes were hit hard by open-heart surgery and his NBA dream hasn't materialized, he certainly has talent.

In high school, the 6'10 center faced off against fellow NBA son, Ron Artest III, the son of former Indiana Pacers star Meta World Peace, back in 2016. It was a matchup between Shareef O'Neal's Crossroads School and Ron Artest III's Palisades High School.

Shareef had 18 points in a winning effort, while Ron Artest III had 14. Clips from the game resurfaced on Wednesday after being shared on Instagram by SportsCenter and NBA on ESPN, which got fans talking.

Many fans were left unimpressed by the 2016 matchup, and many pointed to the fact that neither of them is in the NBA right now.

"And none of them in the league," one commenter pointed out.

"Ron Artest son got 95 percent dna from him. Shaqs son got 2 percent dna from him," another fan noted.

"Anybody still league chasing?," asked another fan.

However, others pointed out that if it were not for his consistent health problems, Shareef O'Neal could have been a beast in the NBA, much like his dad.

"2016 why lil bruh not in the league tho, I mean, I kno Shareef had some condition that backed him up but damn, almost 10 yrs ago not one of these boys touch the league nd they had the potential," said one commenter.

"If shareef didn't have heart problems he would've been a dog," said another.

"Shareef could’ve dead been a problem if health aint play a part," another added.

Fans react to Shareef O'Neal vs. Ron Artest III game (Source: IG/ sportscenternext)

What happened to Shareef O'Neal in high school?

Shareef O'Neal started his basketball career as a high school freshman at Windward School in Los Angeles. Like his father, he was dominant, and his highlight videos went viral and gave him internet popularity. He only averaged 3.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game as a freshman, however, and was kept back in most games.

He stayed with Windward as a sophomore and received the attention of many scouts. The next year, he transferred to Crossroads School in Santa Monica, where he finished his high school career. He was not named to be a McDonald's All-American in 2018, but he did become a Jordan Brand All-American.

He ultimately chose UCLA, but was kept back because he was diagnosed with a heart condition and was made to wear a heart monitor. His health issues kept him back, even though he showed spurts of dominance, only averaging 2.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He transferred to LSU and then declared for the NBA Draft in 2022, but went undrafted.

O'Neal joined the LA Lakers for the 2022 Summer League and was later signed by the Sacramento Kings in 2024, however, he was waived in November.