"Baddest man on the planet" - Shareef O'Neal shares Shaquille O'Neal's words of motivation post his health scare

Shareef O'Neal, the son of legendary big man Shaquille O'Neal, had to undergo open heart surgery in December 2018 after he was diagnosed with an anomalous coronary artery.

In a touching interview, Shareef disclosed that he managed to recuperate more swiftly than expected, attributing his accelerated recovery to his father’s words of encouragement.

“I was just waking up; they were teaching me how to walk again, and my dad was like, ‘If you come back from this, you're the baddest man on the planet,’” Shareef remembered his father saying.

“At first, I didn't really hear him, but as I started to be more conscious of what was going on, that was literally the only thing I kind of remember from that surgery, from the whole process."

Shareef shared that his open heart surgery, initially projected to require a three-week hospitalization, was significantly shortened:

“I was supposed to be in the hospital for about three weeks; I think I made it out in like eight days."

The son of the Lakers legend attributed his fast recovery to his father’s encouraging words:

“Once he told me that, I was like, ‘I gotta come back from this.’"

How Shaquille O'Neal consoled his son during health scare

Known for his sense of humor, Shaq comforted his son before the surgery in his characteristic style - through jokes and humor.

In an appearance on “The Jimmy Kimmel Show,” Shaq said Shareef was horrified by the procedure he was about to undergo.

"It was open heart surgery and he was very scared, and I always said to myself, ‘It is stories that get me to calm down,'” Shaq recounted. “So right before the surgery, he was scared and he had a little tear. I said, 'You scared? You should be.'

“‘But when you go in that room, you're gonna meet a young lady named Anesthesia and you won't remember anything.' [Shareef] said, 'What's her name?' I said, 'Anesthesia, she's gonna kiss you and then you know wake up and everything will be fine."’

The surgery was a success, and Shareef was able to participate in games with the G League Ignite as well as the LA Lakers during the 2022 Summer League.

Now, Shareef's close friend, Bronny James, who is the son of LeBron James, is dealing with his own heart issues, and Shareef is the one offering guidance and advice.

“Any questions you have, you can ask me,” Shareef told Good Morning America of his advice to Bronny. “I can probably answer them for you.”