Shareef O'Neal's reassuring words calm Bronny James' fear while dispelling doubts with optimism

Shareef O'Neal provided some good news about Bronny James a few weeks after the USC Trojan suffered a cardiac arrest.

In an interview with TMZ Sports at LAX on Friday, the son of the LA Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal was asked about Bronny. Shareef has been in constant touch with the 18-year-old athlete since the medical emergency. He's able to relate with Bronny, as he himself had heart surgery in late 2018.

Here's the exchange between Shareef and TMZ:

TMZ: "Good to see you, man. Just wondering if you've talked to Bronny at all recently."

Shareef: "Yeah, he's good."

T: "He's good?"

S: "Yes, sir."

T: "You think he's gonna be alright? You think it's gonna affect his chances of playing in the big leagues?"

S: "No, not at all. Actually, I don't think it will. I don't think it'll affect anything."

Shareef O'Neal started having problems with his heart ahead of his freshman season with the UCLA Bruins. He was diagnosed with a heart condition and had to undergo surgery to fix the issue. He was a medical redshirt as a freshman before making his debut for UCLA in the 2019-20 NCAA season.

After struggling for chances with the Bruins, O'Neal entered the transfer portal and moved to his father's alma mater. However, the lanky 6-foot-10 forward never found his stride with the LSU Tigers. In two years at LSU, Shareef played only 24 games and averaged 2.9 points and 3.3 rebounds.

The 23-year-old went undrafted last year before getting signed by the LA Lakers for their Summer League team. He failed to make the team but was signed by NBA G League Ignite Team. He has formed a friendship with Bronny James over the years and has been giving him support after his cardiac arrest.

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Will Bronny James be able to play for USC Trojans this season?

Bronny James at the 2023 McDonald's All-American Game

There has been no update about Bronny James' future with the USC Trojans. The team has played exhibition games in Greece and Croatia over the past week and are expected to be back in a few days.

Bronny and his father, LeBron James, recently went to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. The father-son duo was likely looking for answers to why Bronny suffered a cardiac arrest.

Matt Zemek of USA Today spoke to USC's Vince Iwuchukwu, who also suffered a cardiac arrest in July last year. He was not cleared to return until January but was able to play some games last season. If Bronny's return is based on Iwuchukwu's, he could return to the team by January.

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