Bronny James’ cardiac arrest won’t affect his basketball career ‘AT ALL,’ says Shaq’s son, Shareef O’Neal, five years after his own open-heart surgery

Shareef O’Neal, son of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, believes that Bronny James’ cardiac arrest won’t affect his basketball career. 

Bronny, son of Lakers superstar LeBron James, went into cardiac arrest during basketball practice with his team at the University of Southern California last month. 

Shareef told TMZ Friday that he has been in contact with the 18-year-old since he had left hospital and revealed that he was doing well. 

‘He’s good,’ O’Neal said.

He added that he doesn’t think that Bronny’s future on the court will be impacted at all. 

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

‘I don’t think it’ll affect anything,’ he said.

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.

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. 

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

Bronny was recently spotted in Minnesota with dad LeBron as the pair visited the Mayo Clinic. 

The Mayo Clinic is one of the top hospitals in the United States, with campuses in Minnesota, Arizona and Florida. 

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

Bronny went into cardiac arrest during a basketball practice with his USC team last month

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. He was resuscitated immediately and rushed to a nearby hospital, and has since been stabilized and released from intensive care.

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.