“When you talk about surgery to the heart, that’s a big deal” - 3x NBA champion says criticism towards Shaquille O'Neal’s son Shareef’s condition is unfair, says he looked out of place in the Summer League

Despite going undrafted, Shareef O'Neal played for the LA Lakers during the NBA's Summer League, and now he's signed to play for the G League Ignite. Former coach and three-time NBA champion Byron Scott commented on Shareef's Summer League performance, saying that he could see the talent but it needs development.

“I think he looked a little bit out of place,” he said. “He wasn’t ready. I think he still has a little ways to go. I think the talent is there. Obviously, the athleticism is there. It’s just some other things he has to kind of tweak.”

In six Summer League games, Shareef averaged 4.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in just 10.9 minutes per contest.

Scott also talked about how the son of Shaquille O'Neal has had some setbacks, starting with his heart surgery in college. Scott said he believes it's "unfair" that people might be criticizing Shareef, as he believes he could still find his way to the NBA one day.

“I think it is possible,” he said. “And I think the surgery did have — when you’re talking about surgery to the heart, that’s a big deal. … If people are criticizing that, that’s really unfair.”

Shaquille O'Neal has continued to support his son's journey of one day playing in the NBA.

After being one of the top recruits out of high school, Shareef enrolled at UCLA. O'Neal then had to have a medical procedure on his heart. From there, he ended up transferring to LSU before playing limited minutes.

His father, Shaquille, recommended that he stay in school to continue working on his game. Regardless of his dad's advice, Shareef declared for the NBA draft.

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Shaquille O'Neal supports his sons journey to the NBA

Shareef O'Neal continues his pursuit of making it to the NBA with Shaquille O'Neal's support

Fans will continue to monitor the progress of young forward Shareef O'Neal as he tries to find his way to the NBA. Although O'Neal has had some setbacks, he's still shown the flashes to have some potential to make it to the next level.

The 22-year-old forward will have an uphill battle to secure a spot in the NBA. After brief flashes in the Summer League, Shareef signed with the G League Ignite for the upcoming season.

The recent news should be welcome for O'Neal, as the Ignite have done a great job over the recent years of developing young talent.