Shaquille O'Neal's son Shareef interested in Kentucky Basketball

Shaquille O'Neal has a son who continues to rise up the rankings in the Class of 2018.

Shareef O'Neal, who is ranked as the No. 24 prospect in 2018 by 247 Sports, has his eyes set on some big-name programs as his recruitment heats up. On the latest episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the NBA Hall of Fame center said that his son is interested in Michigan State, Duke, and of course, Kentucky.

"I want him to be able to create his own path, pick his own path," Shaq said. "However, he did mention to me Kentucky, Michigan State or Duke."

Back in November, Shareef told Scout.com that Baylor, LSU, UCLA, USC and Kansas State had already offered him, but UK was someone he hoped to hear from as his recruitment heats up.

"I like Arizona but I haven't been offered by them. I just recently got a letter from them though," Shareef said. "I'd like to hear from Arizona, Duke, Kentucky and all the top schools."

The 6-8 O'Neal also said, " I'm probably not making my decision until my senior year. I need to find the school that's best for me."

That would bode well for UK is they do end up pursuing the son of Shaq. John Calipari typically doesn't put out many offers to players in future classes, so if O'Neal makes it to the summer of his senior year without having committed to someone, UK should have a shot with him if Coach Cal pursues Shareef.