Shaquille and Shaunie O’Neal’s Son to Undergo Heart Surgery

Shaquille and Shaunie O’Neal’s son, UCLA basketball recruit Shareef O’Neal, will miss his freshman season as he prepares to undergo heart surgery.

Shareef was recently featured on Basketball Wives with Shaunie as they looked at places for him to live near the UCLA campus.

TMZ Sports posted an interview with the 18-year-old basketball player Friday about his health problems.

Read More: ‘Basketball Wives’ Star Shares Cryptic Message About Upcoming Season

O’Neal didn’t disclose his exact condition, but said he “felt funny” during a summer practice session with the Bruins. Team doctors later discovered what the teen described as “something serious and pretty risky.”

After sitting down with TMZ, he took to Instagram Friday to let his 1.4 million followers know what’s happening.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Recently I found out I had a serious heart issue … I am very blessed to be here living today, one of those moments on the court could’ve been my last breathe .. I will not be able to participate in sports this year but I will be back in no time … I want to thank God for looking out for me , I want to thank UCLA , my teammates and most importantly my family … this is just a small bump on the road and I gotta push through it .. I am very down about not being able to do sport I love .. I really wanted this year I felt like I was at my best but this is just a minor setback.. my health is most important over everything .. like I said .. I WILL BE BACK.. thank you ??????

A post shared by Shareef O’Neal (@shareefoneal) on Sep 28, 2018 at 1:30am PDT

“Recently I found out I had a serious heart issue,” he wrote in a lengthy post. “I am very blessed to be here living today, one of those moments on the court could’ve been my last breathe.”

Shareef said he won’t be able to participate in sports this year, but hopes to be back next season.