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Shaquille O'Neal's Son Makes 'Scary' Admission About Health Issue

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rolly Gacelo | Last updated Mar 1, 2026 10:20 PM ET

Shaquille O'Neal's son Shareef was on his way to carving out a basketball career of his own, but in 2018, it was derailed after he was diagnosed with a heart condition that delayed the start of his college basketball career.

Shareef, 26, was about to debut for the UCLA Bruins six years ago, but his freshman year was shelved before it even began due to health issues. He had to undergo surgery in December 2018, and doctors attached a monitoring device to track his heart rate. He wore it during practice, but not during games.

The younger O'Neal said they were lucky to have found the ailment early.

Shareef said his parents tried not to discourage him from returning to basketball so that he would not become afraid.

Shaquille O'Neal and son Shareef watch a Los Angeles Lakers game from the court sideKyle Terada-Imagn Images

"They never said they were scared for me to play because I think they knew that would scare me," he explained. "That’s something you don’t want to hear from your parents."

He admitted he did get scared. Speaking on Angel Reese's podcast "Unapologetically," Shareef described the situation as "crazy."

"That was pretty scary. I was out for like a year and a few months," he said on the show.

"I went from like 220 lbs to like 170. It was bad. It was pretty crazy."

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Shareef was discharged from the hospital shortly afterward and eventually returned to playing basketball. He credited a doctor named Shane for closely monitoring his condition.

He played two seasons for UCLA, one as a medical redshirt. He then transferred to his father's alma mater, LSU Tigers men's basketball, and spent two more seasons there.

He declared for the NBA draft in 2022. He was not selected but was listed on the Los Angeles Lakers' Summer League team.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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