Any feud between Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant won’t become a dynastic one. A budding friendship between Shaq’s son, Shareef, and Bryant will make sure of it.
The younger O’Neal told TMZ on Friday he’s likely to begin training with Bryant soon, as he looks to improve his basketball skills and potentially pursue a career in the sport. Shareef said Bryant first made the offer during the NBA All-Star break in February.
“He was telling me I need to train with him,” Shareef said. “… I’m going to probably start training with him this summer.”
Bryant has some extra time on his hands, having retired from the NBA in April after 20 years as a pro.
Shareef is a sophomore at The Winward School in Los Angeles. The 6-foot-9 power forward said Baylor, Kansas State, LSU, UCLA and USC have offered him scholarships, although he won’t graduate high school until 2018. He’s hoping workouts with Bryant will help improve his game and prospects for success at the next level.
Shareef will start by demonstrating his own competitive drive to Bryant.
“If we play 1-on-1 … I’m going to try to win,” Shareef told TMZ.
This Bryant-O’Neal partnership looks good on paper, but so did the first one. And we all know how that turned out.
Thumbnail photo via Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports Images
