“Checked on me every single day after my open heart surgery” Shareef O’Neal makes candid confession how Kobe Bryant helped him despite rift with father
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Shareef O'Neal, Kobe Bryant
Thousands of kids all across the world were encouraged to pick up a basketball and give the game a try through Kobe Bryant. Shareef O’Neal, a player for the LA Lakers in the NBA Summer League, is one of many guys in the league today who were inspired to push themselves by Kobe. Shareef, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal‘s son, and Kobe got along well despite Kobe’s past relationship with his father. Shareef had a great role model in Kobe, who always challenged him to succeed.
Shareef O’Neal underwent heart surgery in December 2018 to treat a problem that threatened to end his basketball career. The first-year UCLA student was going through a difficult period and needed all the help he could get. Bryant, a former player with the Los Angeles Lakers, was one of his most vocal supporters. Shareef recently spoke up about how Kobe was essential to his recovery period. It appears like Bryant went above and above to ensure that Shareef was well, and in the interview, he revealed that Kobe texted him each day while he was recovering.
Shareef O’Neal is finally in the NBA to follow his father’s footsteps.
Shareef O’Neal, a four-star prospect and the 33rd-ranked player in the country in 2018, committed to play collegiate basketball at the University of Arizona as he was about to graduate from Crossroads School in Santa Monica. After a series of decommitments, he made the decision to take his skills to UCLA in the hopes of having an effect on the basketball team. Shareef’s toughest challenge was an open-heart surgery to correct which kept him from starting his college career as he lost a year of sports competition while he recovered. He again made the decision to transfer at the end of that season and this time as he moved in the direction of LSU, the alma mater of his father.
Due to a couple foot injuries, Shareef’s two seasons with LSU were pretty dull. During those two years, he averaged just 2.8 points per game in 11.4 minutes per game while falling out of the top prospect rankings. Shareef opted to re-enter the transfer portal after the 2021–22 season, his second and last at LSU, in order to find a new basketball home more suited to supporting his development. Shareef made the decision to join the 2022 Draft in order to turn pro, as opposed to finding a new home as an amateur. By giving Shareef a spot on their Summer League roster, the Los Angeles Lakers made the decision to show their continued support for the O’Neal lineage.
Shareef O’Neal on his relationship with Kobe Bryant.
Shareef O’Neal said in an interview that Kobe contacted him every day as he was recovering from a highly public fight with heart illness while he was a college student. He stated: “When I was young, he used to tell me ‘whatever you wanna do, don’t let anybody say you can’t do it’. I always thought about that. He was the one person who always checked in with me. Every day of my surgery, he messaged me ‘how are you doing today?’ He always looked after me, made sure that I’m good.”
Bryant would have been excited to see Shareef O’Neal reach this point, and it is evident that Shareef has continued Kobe’s legacy by carrying the Mamba’s spirit with him whenever he steps onto the floor. Currently, Shareef wants to establish himself with the same team that Kobe Bryant and his father both spent a significant amount of time playing for. When it comes to building his own NBA career, Shareef just wants to make them proud.
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Irvin Philip
(701 Articles Published)