Once a top college prospect, Shareef O’Neal’s journey to the NBA went downhill after undergoing open heart surgery. The eldest son of Shaquille O’Neal, Shareef was well on his way to being drafted into the league. However, an unexpected and rare disease caused him to miss a substantial time on the court. Though Shareef has now recovered and is playing in the G-League, he made a bold statement about his return to the court.

At only 18 years of age, Shareef O’Neal had to undergo surgery due to an irregularity in his heart. His condition was detected when he went for a routine checkup at UCLA. Despite recovering, Shareef had second thoughts about playing basketball again.

The eldest son of Shaquille O’Neal still going strong

Recently, the Instagram page G-LeagueTV posted about Shareef’s journey back on the court. The post captioned the image, “Really happy to see Shareef O’Neal thriving after open heart surgery nearly derailed his career.”

“The 6’10” forward has been a key member off the bench for @gleagueignite. He’s averaging 5.8 points (66.7% FG) in only 11.0 minutes so far this season. @shareefoneal.”

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The Ignite big man indeed had an arduous journey, overcoming such obstacles. While looking back at his road to recovery, Shareef said, “The journey from my heart surgery was tough. I had a lot of mixed thoughts about if I should play basketball again.”

Shareef may have lost some of his explosiveness on the court, but he has not given up. He has been working on his game to get more playing time to help his team on the floor every night.

What exactly did Shareef O’Neal suffer from?

Shaquille O’Neal’s eldest son was diagnosed with a right anomalous coronary artery. The condition can often cause severe chest pains, heart failure, and the possibility of losing their life.

According to the ‘National Library of Medicine,’ only 1% of the general population suffers from this condition. In studies conducted with patients suffering from left anomalous coronary artery, 59% die before 20 years of age.

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11.8% of deaths recorded in high school and college athletes are caused by coronary anomalies. So, it sure was a blessing in disguise that Shareef’s condition was detected, and he underwent surgery for that. Recently, the Ignite forward received a lot of love from fans on his birthday.

Hopefully, the big man can find his groove on the floor again to dominate the G-League and get signed by a team in the NBA.