Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal faced his fair share of difficulties as a professional athlete. From suffering foot-related problems that actually forced him to retire to getting diagnosed with sleep apnea right after retirement, Big Diesel faced some health issues during his time. Never did the former player, however, imagined that a similar pain would be felt by his own children.

While Shaqir enjoys college life, Me’Arah prepares to enter the NCAA herself. Millionaire Myles O’Neal parties professionally around the clock alongside DJ Diesel. But recently, one O’Neal has been amiss from the family news.

The eldest son of Shaquille O’Neal shared a social media post

An Instagram post highlighted the tough road 23-year-old Shareef O’Neal has taken. It brought to light the player’s “athleticism” and “exceptional footwork”. Describing him as someone who can “stretch the floor and confidently shoot from the beyond the arc”, the post also claims that Shareef doesn’t mind scoring from the post from time to time.

The post first complimented the 6’11 forward for his “NBA-ready physique”. 

It seems the post caught his attention as Shareef took to Instagram to reshare it on his story with his 2.8 Million followers.

The second paragraph of the post talked about Shareef’s “journey to success”. Particularly, how the youngster overcame “heart surgery to emerge as a thriving player.”  These lines caught the attention of many. After all, it’s only been a few years since the son of Shaq had to undergo open-heart surgery.

READ MORE: Michael Jordan vs Shaquille O’Neal – Legends Take Over Europe but Who Owns the Most Expensive Yacht?

No one, however, remembers it better than the 23-year-old himself.

Shareef opened up about his recovery

Shareef’s “heart surgery” referenced in the post occurred almost 5 years ago. It started when the then-teenager was diagnosed with a ‘right anomalous coronary artery’. To treat the ailment, Shareef gott open heart surgery done from Standford.

Shaquille O’Neal and his ex-wife, Shaunie, were both by their son’s side during this difficult time. Shareef went through the invasive procedure. Unfortunately, the hard part was not over yet.

“They had to kind of reteach me how to walk again because I tried to get up on my own just to use the bathroom and I just fell down on the floor,” confessed Shareef during the interview.

If that wasn’t enough, his weight went from “215 to 170” just due to the surgery. This compelled him to get his appetite back on track and be ‘force-fed’.

Shareef O’Neal’s eventual recovery and his return to the basketball court serve as an inspiration to people around the world. We wish him the best of health. Have you seen the 6’11 forward play?

WATCH THIS STORY | Sunbathing Her Way Through the Weekend, “Traumatized” Larsa Pippen Officially Moves on From Michael Jordan’s Comments With 32YO Marcus