Bronny James has spoken to friends as he recovers after suffering cardiac arrest during a basketball practice at USC on Monday.
Shareef O’Neal — the son of Lakers legend, Shaquille O’Neal and James’ close friend — said he spoke to LeBron James’ oldest son and offered his full support, as he dealt with his own heart issue in 2018.
“I talked to Bronny and I sent him a message — and I just said, ‘Any questions you have, you can ask me. I can probably answer them for you,’” Shareef said during a virtual appearance on “Good Morning America” on Thursday, while Bronny reportedly remains hospitalized.
Shareef, who currently plays for the Lakers’ G-League affiliate team, was referring to his own health battle when he underwent open heart surgery to correct his coronary artery at age 18.
Shareef was wearing a heart monitor during a basketball practice in 2018 when he noticed his heart was beating rapidly, which gave him and medical personnel ample time to respond.
“I know people are going to be saying they’re praying for you and all that, but you kind of just don’t want to hear too much about it in the moment,” Shareef said.
Separately, Shareef fired back at someone on Twitter that suggested Bronny’s condition was somehow related to spending time with him, according to TMZ.
“That is very disrespectful of you to say,” Shareef wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “I’ve been around Bronny for a very long time before this happened … I’ll pray for you. You need help … sick that you would even say something like that 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️#dummy.”
On Monday morning, the USC medical and athletic staff tended to Bronny when he suffered cardiac arrest at the Galen Center, where the Trojans practice, the James family confirmed in a statement.
“Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital,” the statement read. “He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU.
“We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information.”
According to TMZ, Bronny was unconscious before he was taken by ambulance to the hospital. It marked the second time in a little more than a year that the USC medical and athletic staff treated a player suffering from cardiac arrest.
Bronny — a 6-foot-3 combo guard and four-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon High School — committed to play for the USC in May.
LeBron was photographed arriving at Cedar Sinai Hospital on Tuesday, wearing a face mask and carrying what appeared to be an iPad.
The James family, who attended the 2023 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles two weeks prior to Bronny’s health scare, has yet to share additional information about his condition.
James and his wife Savannah were said to be “relieved” and “optimistic” after speaking with doctors, according to TMZ, which reported that Bronny is doing better.
CNN reported Wednesday that Bronny had a cardiac screening several months ago as part of a program for prospective NBA players and the results came back normal.
It’s unknown how this scare will affect Bronny moving forward.
During his appearance on “Good Morning America,” Shareef explained his difficult road to recovery after undergoing heart surgery in 2018.
“When am I going to get back [on the court]?” he recalled, adding that he couldn’t walk at the time.
“What is my future looking like? That’s when I kind of realized, I don’t know if basketball is ever going to be an option again,” he said.
Shareef added that his father, an NBA Hall of Famer and current TNT personality, helped propel him to return to the court.
“He’s like, ‘If you make it out of this, you’ll be the baddest man on the planet,’” Shareef said of Shaq’s advice. “And that kind of just builds a fire up in you and makes you want to go back and get it.”
It’s unclear if Bronny’s medical emergency was similar to Shareef’s heart condition.
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