"He can't shoot"- Shareef and Shaqir O'Neal call out dad Shaquille O’Neal for 'cheating' in 1v1s

Being the sons of Shaquille O’Neal presents Shareef and Shaqir O’Neal more than enough opportunities to play one-on-one against the legendary LA Lakers center. However, if Shareef and Shaqir are to be believed, Shaq tends to cheat during those games.

In a recent Instagram video by “shaqwithme,” Shareef was asked who would win a game to 11 points between him and Shaquille O’Neal. Shareef didn’t hesitate as he said:

“Right now? Oh me! 11-0. … This is what he is gonna do. He gonna bag me down. If he misses, it’s a foul. If he makes it, it’s his ball. Anytime I go past him, he gonna say travel or something like that. Shaqir, everytime we play dad, don’t he cheat?”

The interviewer proceeded to ask if the most dominant center in the history of the game is a cheater. Shaqir said:

“He might get a couple. But he can’t shoot.”

It’s pretty clear from the conversation that the Hall of Fame center isn’t winning many shooting contests with his sons. However, it isn't something he was ever known for. While his sons might be dominating him right now in 1v1 games, in his prime, it’s safe to assume they wouldn’t have stood a chance.

Shaquille O’Neal ended his career with four titles and three Finals MVPs. He was also a one-time regular-season MVP, a 15-time All-Star and made 14 All-NBA teams. Shaq was also a part of the last three-peat in the NBA, when he and Kobe Bryant won three straight championships for the LA Lakers between 2000 and 2002.

What were Shaquille O’Neal’s shooting numbers in the NBA?

Modern NBA big men are required to excel in shooting and playmaking, but this wasn’t the norm in the heyday of Shaquille O’Neal. There is no doubt that he is one of the best centers of all-time, if not the greatest. While Shaq was almost unstoppable at the rim, the only criticism he faced was because of his shooting.

It became so easy for Shaq to get to the basket that teams began implementing the “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy, in which defenders committed intentional fouls and sent the Lakers legend to the free-throw line. This is where he struggled. He was just a career 52.7% shooter from the charity stripe. In total, he attempted 11,252 free-throws and missed 5,935 of them.

Shaq made just one 3-pointer in his career at a clip of 0.45%. However, his field-goal percentage stood at 58.2%, which goes on to show his dominance in the paint.

In hindsight, if Shaquille O’Neal was a better shooter, he probably would have been in the conversation for the greatest player ever alongside Michael Jordan and LeBron James. But this isn’t something that he frets over, as he is happy by his own admission at being the “most dominant big man ever.”