Bronny James gets support from Shareef O’Neal nearly five years after Shaq’s son underwent open-heart surgery as a UCLA freshman

Shareef O’Neal, the 23-year-old son of NBA legend Shaquille, has reached out to LeBron James’ 18-year-old son, Bronny, to share his experience recovering from open heart surgery.

Bronny went into cardiac arrest during Monday’s basketball practice with his team at the University of Southern California. He was in stable condition Tuesday after spending only a brief time in intensive care, but no update was given on Wednesday as he remained in the hospital for further testing. The cause of Bronny’s cardiac arrest remains unclear.

Shareef battled his own heart problems as a freshman at USC’s crosstown rival, UCLA, but still managed to embark on a pro basketball career. The LA native currently plays in the NBA’s minor league.

‘Any questions you have, you can ask me,’ Shareef told Good Morning America of his interaction with Bronny, whom he’s known for years. ‘I can probably answer them for you.’

Shareef did not suffer a cardiac arrest but was diagnosed with a cardiac issue by UCLA staff before undergoing open-heart surgery and sitting out his freshman season.

Shareef O’Neal underwent open-heart surgery in 2018 when he was a freshman at UCLA 

Bronny went into cardiac arrest during Monday’s basketball practice with his team

Shareef (top left) is pictured with Bronny (far right) and Bryce James (lower left) in 2018

He ultimately transferred to his father’s alma mater, LSU, before going unselected in the 2022 NBA Draft.

But despite the heart problems, Shareef continues to play professional basketball.

‘What is my future looking like,’ Shareef said while describing his concerns coming out of his 2018 surgery. ‘That’s when I kind of realized, I don’t know if basketball is ever going to be an option again.’

Shareef also benefitted from some advice from his father at the time.

‘He’s like, ”If you make it out of this, you’ll be the baddest man on the planet,” Shareef said. ‘And that kind of just builds a fire up in you and makes you want to go back and get it.’

Bronny (far right) has known Shaq (left) and son Shareef (near left, near right) for years

Bronny is on the ‘road to recovery’ following his cardiac arrest, doctors told parents LeBron and Savannah, both of whom are unconcerned with his budding basketball career at the moment.

‘If Bronny isn’t able to ever play basketball again, so be it,’ a source close to the family told DailyMail.com. ‘But those decisions are a long way away.’

Bronny, an 18-year-old freshman basketball player at USC, was preparing for an upcoming 10-day exhibition tour through Greece and Croatia when he suffered a cardiac arrest at the Trojans’ Galen Center on Monday morning. He was resuscitated immediately and rushed to a nearby hospital, and has since been stabilized and released from intensive care.

As for LeBron, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, and his wife Savannah, the two are encouraged by Bronny’s progress, and only concerned with his immediate health, and are prepared to keep him in the hospital for as long as it takes.

‘As parents, this has been a nightmare,’ the source told DailyMail.com. ‘Going through this has been very stressful. They just want the best for Bronny. They really can’t believe that this happened and is happening.

Bronny was one of the top recruits in the country last year before choosing to remain in the LA area by attending USC. The Trojans also got a commitment from Isaiah Collier, who was the top-ranked high school player last season.