“I sent him a message” - Shareef O'Neal shares reaching out to Bronny James amidst his health scare
Bronny James went into cardiac arrest this week while practicing at USC, resulting in an outpouring of support for the James family from the NBA community. Fans and fellow parents were shaken by the terrifying situation as James' peers and fans sent well-wishes to the superstar's son.
One of the players who reached out to Bronny James personally was Shareef O'Neal, who previously went through his own health scare. To quickly recap, when O'Neal was a teenager, he learned that thanks to a heart defect, he would have to either retire or undergo open heart surgery.
O'Neal made the tough decision to go through with surgery to keep his NBA dreams alive. However, had he not, he would have been at high-risk for cardiac arrest. Given the situation, he reached out to Bronny James to offer his support.
As he recalled on "Good Morning America," it was advice from his dad, Shaquille O'Neal, that helped Shareef return to form after the harrowing experience. As a result, he's since passed the advice on to Bronny James:
"I talked to Bronny. I sent him a message. I just said, 'Any questions you have, you can ask me because I can probably answer them for you.'
"... He's (Shaquille O'Neal) like, 'If you make it out of this, you'll be the baddest man on the planet. And that kind of just builds a fire up in you and makes you want to go back and get it."
As Lebron James' family remain by Bronny’s side after his cardiac arrest, Shaquille O'Neal's son Shareef speaks out about his own health scare and what it was like undergoing open-heart surgery at 18. @molareports has more. pic.twitter.com/YaavQM64pl
LeBron James' recent message to fans about Bronny James
After Bronny James went into cardiac arrest, Tuesday's reports indicated that he was out of the ICU and in stable condition. At the time, the James family asked for privacy as they navigated the difficult road ahead.
Since then, there has been little news about when Bronny James will be released from the hospital and what his road to recovery may be like. With that being said, late in the week, the future Hall of Famer released a statement on Twitter thanking everyone for their support during the difficult time, writing:
"I want to thank the countless people sending my family love and prayers. We feel you and I’m so grateful. Everyone doing great. We have our family together, safe and healthy, and we feel your love.
"Will have more to say when we’re ready but I wanted to tell everyone how much your support has meant to all of us! #JamesGang."
While there's been no word as to whether or not Bronny will have to undergo major surgery like Shareef O'Neal did, the important thing is that he's doing OK. A report released Thursday indicated that both LeBron James and his wife, Savannah, are feeling 'optimistic' about the situation going forward.
Stay tuned for updates as they become available.