Former basketball player and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal recently hopped on Instagram to challenge his former teammates, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, to a father-son basketball tournament.
“Who are you taking in a 2V2 tournament?” reads the caption above a photoshopped image of O’Neal, Wade and James next to their sons.
Most commenters seemed to lean towards O’Neal and his son, Shareef, betting that the two would “dominate.” According to StatMuse, O'Neal played 19 seasons for six different teams, including Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic. The 49-year-old averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.3 blocks in 1,207 regular-season games and was a 15-time All-Star game select.
The sons of Dwayne and LeBron, Zaire Wade and Bronny James, however, have been making strides in the high school basketball space, taking after their NBA fathers.
At one point in time, the basketball trio were all players on the Miami Heat during their careers, winning at least one title with the Florida team.
Both Wade — one of the best shooting guards to play in the NBA — and O’Neal have retired from the court. Meanwhile James is entering his 19th year as an NBA player, breaking records as a 17-time All-Star team select and four-time NBA champion.
The 36-year-old also doesn’t plan to retire soon, and hopes he can end his career as a Los Angeles Laker.
“I truly hope that I can finish my career with the Lakers. However many years that is, if it’s four, five, six, whatever, seven, I hope I can continue to play the game. I love being in L.A., my family loves being in L.A.," James said, according to NBC Sports. “Being with a historical franchise like the Lakers is something.”
“It’s like me being in Space Jam — I never thought it would be possible,” he continued. “You think about Kareem, and Magic, and Wilt, and Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, Kobe, Shaq and all of them, the whole list goes on.”
