NBA legend Shaq's sons feared getting into trouble and going to jail - before being saved by their stepfather

NBA icon Shaquille O'Neal's sons were in a tension-filled situation and had a chance of being forced behind bars.

Fortunately, the TNT analyst star's sons, Shareef and Shaqir, did not get in trouble with the law thanks to their stepfather.

During an appearance on the Groow Zone Podcast, Keion Henderson, the stepfather to Shaq 's two kids, spoke about an incident that left him "scared to death."

The stepfather was alongside his wife Shaunie O'Neal as they shared the nerve-wracking moment.

Keion was attempting to bond with Shareef, Shaqir, and their friend Greg as they were driving with the windows down in Texas.

They were on their way to basketball practice as Shaquille's sons didn't have a shirt on.

Keion shared that Shareef and Shaquir tend to show off their tattoos on their body.

"Shareef has 10 percent skin and 90 percent tattoos," the stepfather said on the podcast.

However, Keion was extremely nervous as they drove through the Texas streets.

"In California, this is normal," he explained. "But in Texas, when people see black men with tattoos, they don't see athletes, they see thugs.

After believing a police officer could mistake Shaq's sons for drug dealers, Keion took control of the situation.

"I told the boys, 'Put your arm in the window, sit up straight, and put a T-Shirt on so we can get home safely.'"

And they returned home safely.

Shaq's two sons are NBA hopefuls.

Shareef plays in the NBA G League but has yet to appear in a professional NBA game.

Shaqir is currently a college basketball athlete at Texas Southern where he plays the forward position.

Shaquille's third son, Myles, is an actor and a DJ, and has appeared in many Hollywood roles in his career.

Tattoos became a fixture thanks to Shaq, who rocks nine tattoos.

His ink includes numerous Superman logos, a globe with the words "The World is Mine," and tributes to his daughters.

In 2002, Shaq married Shaunie Nelson during his NBA career.

The pair divorced in 2011.