After Shaquille O’Neal’s son Shareef faced cardiac issues, reports of LeBron James’ son Bronny James suffering same fate leaves NBA world in tatters
LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal have both been through events that no parent ever hopes to experience. In the case of Shareef O'Neal, when he was young, he underwent an ablation procedure to help with heart palpitations. Fast forward to his collegiate career, and a heart monitor test revealed a harsh ultimatum for O'Neal.
His two choices were to quit sports and live a normal life, or play sports and risk cardiac arrest. At just 18 years old, O'Neal made the decision to undergo open heart surgery, a move that allowed him to continue his basketball career.
On the flip side, this week, LeBron James' son, Bronny James went into cardiac arrest while practicing. Fortunately, thanks to the medical staff on hand who were quick to jump into action, Bronny is in stable condition in the hospital.
While there has been no word yet on whether or not Bronny will have to undergo surgery like Shareef O'Neal did, the similarities in the two stories are harrowing. While Shareef O'Neal was able to undergo surgery to prevent cardiac arrest, Bronny James experienced the full-on worst-case scenario.
The ordeal has shaken the NBA community to its core considering the fact that both young standouts could have had their stories go far different. Thankfully, both of their stories seem to have happy endings, however, we continue to await more good news regarding Bronny James.
Shareef O’Neal’s recovery after undergoing a heart procedure, how it impacted the O’Neal family, and the unknowns surrounding Bronny James
As previously mentioned, back in 2019, Shareef O’Neal was recovering from heart surgery after learning that he had to either go under the knife or retire from sports. At the time, O’Neal’s mother, Shaunie, spoke on an episode of Basketball Wives about the matter, opening up on just what was wrong with her son.
"[It's] an artery that just grows in the wrong place. He was born with it. He could've died from it. They let us know Shareef needed open-heart surgery. That made my heart break”
Fortunately, Doctors were able to perform successful surgery, and as a result, he’s been good to go ever since.
In the case of Bronny James, the NBA community has remained floored by the news of his sudden cardiac arrest. While many have continued to clamor for updates regarding his situation, it seems as though we will have to wait for further updates.
Currently, Bronny remains in the hospital in stable condition. The expectation is that doctors will continue to run tests to figure out what went wrong, before then putting together a game plan to move towards his release.
While that could simply include a beta-blocker pill or ablation, Bronny James could have been born with a heart defect that requires surgery like Shareef O’Neal.
As the NBA community continues to throw its support behind the James family, one thing is clear. LeBron James, Bronny, and the entire James family have the NBA community behind them during this difficult time.