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Shareef O’Neal did not take kindly to the idea of getting jokingly blamed for Bronny James’ scary medical emergency.

James, the son of Lakers superstar LeBron James and an incoming freshman on USC’s basketball team, suffered cardiac arrest while practicing on Monday, the family confirmed on Tuesday morning.

O’Neal, the son of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and a friend of Bronny’s, underwent open heart surgery in 2018 before the start of his college basketball career.

One troll seemed to imply that the heart issues were contagious, and blamed O’Neal for his friend’s heart attack.

“Bronny started hanging with Shareef and now look,” the troll’s tweet said, according to TMZ. “@SSJreef stay yo ass away from him he’s destined for greatness not overseas 😆”


  Shareef O’Neal slammed a troll who suggested Bronny James suffered cardiac arrest after hanging out with him. NBAE via Getty Images Shareef O’Neal slammed a troll who suggested Bronny James suffered cardiac arrest after hanging out with him. NBAE via Getty Images

O’Neal, who took a medical redshirt as a true freshman in the 2018-19 season stemming from his heart issue, fired back at the callousness of the comment.

“That is very disrespectful of you to say,” Shareef responded, in a tweet that he has since deleted. “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.”

Here's everything to know about Bronny James' cardiac arrest

Bronny James, the 18-year-old son of NBA superstar LeBron James, went into cardiac arrest during a basketball practice with his team at the University of Southern California on Monday.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Group cardiologist Merije Chukumerije said in a statement Thursday that Bronny “has been discharged home, where he is resting.”



It’s too soon to know how Bronny’s episode will affect his basketball career, since it largely depends on the underlying causes of the cardiac arrest.

“When they come up with a mechanism for why he had the cardiac arrest, you could then and only then make an informed decision regarding his recovery and his ability to go back on the court,” Dr. Marc Cohen, Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Newark-Beth Israel Medical Center, told The Post.

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O’Neal played in college at UCLA and LSU, and has played professionally on the G League Ignite.

The James family issued a statement about Bronny’s medical situation on Tuesday morning.

“(Monday) while practicing, Bronny James suffered a cardiac arrest,” the statement said.


  Bronny James suffered cardiac arrest at basketball practice on Monday. Getty Images Bronny James suffered cardiac arrest at basketball practice on Monday. Getty Images

“Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital. 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.”

 “Cookie and I are praying for LeBron and Savannah’s son Bronny after hearing he suffered a cardiac arrest. We are praying and hoping he makes a full and speedy recovery,” former Lakers legend Magic Johnson tweeted.

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