Shareef O’Neal stared death in the face and said, not today. Although Shareef had a heart condition since he was a child, it wasn’t life threatening until his basketball dream was on the verge of being realized. In order for Shareef to return to the hardwood he needed to win the most difficult battle of his life and cheat death.
In this exclusive interview, Shareef O’Neal reveals how he was able to miraculously recover from his surgery in record time and why Shaq recognizes his son as “The Baddest MF Alive.”
#shareefoneal #shaquilleoneal #collegebasketball #basketball
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In this exclusive interview, Shareef O’Neal reveals how he was able to miraculously recover from his surgery in record time and why Shaq recognizes his son as “The Baddest MF Alive.”
#shareefoneal #shaquilleoneal #collegebasketball #basketball
Subscribe & Hit the Bell to Turn on Post-Notification: https://www.youtube.com/@Playmakr
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Follow Playmaker on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playmaker/?hl=en
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Follow Playmaker on TikTok:
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Follow Playmaker on Twitter:
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Follow Playmaker on Threads: *link*
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Shop Playmaker Merch:
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Playmaker is all about stories, highlights, and in-depth behind the scenes moments of your favorite athletes and celebrities.
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SportsTranscript
00:00 (soft music)
00:02 It was either our first or second basketball workout.
00:07 And then I felt the same exact thing,
00:10 like the same exact fast heartbeat.
00:12 And that was my first time feeling it in years.
00:15 So I was just like, all right,
00:17 press the little button on the heart monitor.
00:18 And I kept practicing, I was cool.
00:21 And then I would say it was maybe the next day
00:23 or a few days after, I get a call from the trainer.
00:28 He's like, you need to come to the facility right now.
00:30 And then I got there and he walked over
00:34 to the medical building with me.
00:35 And he's like, I need you to call your mom and your dad.
00:38 And I called my mom, I said, mom, you need to come to UCLA.
00:41 They're about to tell us something.
00:42 'Cause I honestly forgot I had the heart monitor on
00:44 'cause I was so used to being like fine and playing with it.
00:47 So my mom came, had my dad on FaceTime.
00:50 We walk in the room and it's like a big slideshow.
00:52 Bunch of people, bunch of doctors in a circle
00:55 and like white jackets.
00:56 And then it's just a picture of like a heart.
00:59 When they told me, they were like,
01:08 you can play and honestly be fine.
01:11 Nothing might ever happen.
01:12 There's been a lot of people who have this,
01:13 they don't know and they played a successful life of sports.
01:16 And then there's some people who got surgery.
01:18 So my first thing was, I'm not about to get no heart surgery
01:20 so I'm about to just live with it.
01:24 I worked all this way up,
01:26 just won state championship for my high school.
01:28 First one in like 20 something years.
01:30 ESPN put me as the number one player in California.
01:33 You know, I'm staying home.
01:34 Like season's about to start, we starting workouts.
01:37 All my friends are here and then boom,
01:39 I can't play basketball no more.
01:40 So went home with that.
01:43 And you know, I kind of thought I got workouts tomorrow.
01:45 If I put my shoes on and this is the last time
01:47 I play basketball, like that'll be crazy.
01:49 'Cause they just told me about it yesterday.
01:50 So, you know, I told my coach and the trainer,
01:52 I was like, let me get the surgery.
01:55 (soft music)
01:56 When I was a kid, you know,
01:58 I would have a lot of fast heartbeats,
02:00 like during like recess or even in class randomly.
02:04 I missed a lot of days of school just 'cause of this.
02:07 Like my heart would be fast and I'd wake up,
02:09 I'd be in the hospital.
02:10 Doctors couldn't find out what it was.
02:14 And then finally I got something called a heart ablation.
02:16 Like a year later, maybe I was like six or seven.
02:19 I think it was hard to tell everybody in my family.
02:24 And like releasing it to the public.
02:26 'Cause I knew people were gonna be like,
02:28 what's wrong with Sharif?
02:29 Why isn't he playing?
02:30 So, so much was going through my mind.
02:34 I'm like, am I ever gonna play basketball again?
02:37 I gotta get a heart surgery.
02:38 Am I gonna make it through the surgery?
02:39 Like it was just so much that was raced through my head
02:42 that I feel like I wasn't the same for a long time.
02:45 I feel like I was in a dark place
02:49 and I was good at hiding it
02:50 until I released it to the public.
02:53 And everybody's talking about it.
02:54 Literally everywhere I go, people are talking about it.
02:56 So that's when I started to show it.
02:58 Like people were like, after a few days,
03:00 people were like, okay, don't say nothing to Sharif.
03:03 Don't even look at his way.
03:04 'Cause I was just like in a little rage moment.
03:07 Like I was just so like worked up and so mad I couldn't play
03:10 and just people kept bringing it up
03:12 and I was already scared.
03:13 So we had finals.
03:16 I feel like it was hard for me to focus on school too.
03:19 'Cause I'm in my final trying to figure out the answer.
03:22 And I'm thinking about I gotta get surgery
03:23 in 20 something days.
03:25 Like every single day got closer.
03:27 The more and more scared I was.
03:28 And I just, it was, yeah,
03:30 that was really the feeling was just being scared.
03:32 I was just waking up.
03:40 They were teaching me how to walk again.
03:43 And my dad, he was like, if you come back from this,
03:47 he's like, you're the baddest man on the planet.
03:51 At first I didn't really hear him,
03:53 but as like I started to be more and more conscious
03:55 of what was going on,
03:56 that was like really the only thing I kind of remember
03:58 from that surgery, from that whole process.
04:00 He's like, you come back from this,
04:01 you're the baddest man on the planet.
04:02 So once that kind of clicked in my mind,
04:05 I'm like, yeah, well, come on, let's walk.
04:06 Like I couldn't even sleep.
04:08 'Cause I'm like, I need to get out of the hospital.
04:09 That was my first thought.
04:10 I need to get out of the hospital.
04:11 I hate the hospital.
04:12 I need to go home.
04:13 So they would come in, are you ready to walk?
04:15 Yeah, I'm getting up by myself.
04:18 Like I feel like it's just something in me.
04:21 That just really drove me into getting out
04:22 of the hospital first.
04:23 And then I got so used to a routine that I was like,
04:25 you know, I'm gonna just take this all the way.
04:28 And they were like, there's a test you have to get passed.
04:30 You gotta walk a little bit farther every day.
04:32 So, you know, I was supposed to be in the hospital
04:34 for about three weeks.
04:36 I think I made it out in like eight days.
04:41 I was so determined to get out.
04:42 They asked me to walk.
04:43 I wanna walk.
04:44 I wanna go outside, get some fresh air.
04:46 Like I wanna do something.
04:47 So I feel like once he told me that,
04:49 I was just like, you know, I gotta come back from this
04:52 just to be an inspiring person.
04:53 ♪ Look, no limit, still standing ♪
05:01 ♪ Waiting for this moment, better take advantage ♪
05:04 ♪ Think you falling off, show 'em your balance ♪
05:07 ♪ Show 'em your passion, move forward, not back ♪
05:12 Even though at times I didn't feel like
05:13 I was gonna be able to play basketball again,
05:15 like I had to kind of trick myself
05:18 and tell myself things to make sure
05:19 that I play basketball again.
05:21 So I feel like that was the most important thing I did
05:24 after getting that surgery.
05:26 After I left UCLA, I was kind of scared
05:30 to even try to transfer 'cause nobody's gonna take a kid
05:33 coming off a heart surgery,
05:34 but you know, LSU was still interested
05:36 'cause I just wanted to get a fresh start
05:38 after the whole surgery thing.
05:39 I wanted to get out of LA so I can kind of find out
05:42 who I really am again 'cause it's a part of my new life.
05:45 (gentle music)
05:48 And I've always wanted to play in the NBA.
05:51 And looking back at it,
05:53 like people can talk about the G League all they want,
05:55 that's still some of the best basketball players
05:57 in the world.
05:59 I never thought I'd even be in a position
06:00 to play pro basketball after that surgery.
06:03 Ignite looking after me and helping me develop,
06:06 it helped so much.
06:07 And I'm just proud of where I am
06:10 and I'm just happy they gave me a chance to show.
06:13 And they really wanted to showcase that I was healthy too.
06:16 I feel like they were on my side.
06:18 And that's the first time I felt like a whole team
06:20 and group like staff was actually on my side to help me
06:23 'cause they know what I went through and they care for me.
06:25 So Ignite helped me a lot.
06:27 At LSU, I worked 24 a year for that.
06:34 So, you know, I'm gonna do anything to show my love for him
06:38 and I'm not doing it for no pictures or nothing.
06:40 Like, it actually means something for me.
06:43 And he means a lot to me just 'cause he was always around.
06:47 We went to the Staple Center
06:50 and at first I didn't really think Noah was gonna be there.
06:52 But when I say the whole city of LA was at the Staple Center
06:55 and just chanting Kobe, Kobe,
06:58 and the big like flowers and all that in the middle,
07:00 like, you know, that's when I didn't feel alone.
07:02 I'm like, okay, the whole city's feeling just like this.
07:05 And, you know, it was just a,
07:07 it's just something I still don't believe to this day.
07:09 Like, and I always look at that Instagram message
07:11 'cause like he never got to read it.
07:12 So it's just, it's just crazy that I got that message before,
07:15 but I'm also kind of mad at myself
07:18 that I slept in that day.
07:19 'Cause I feel like that kind of sticks with me too.
07:21 'Cause if I would have woke up a few hours earlier,
07:23 I could have answered,
07:24 he could have possibly said something back.
07:26 So like I sent the last message and he didn't get to see it.
07:28 So that kind of sticks with me.
07:30 (upbeat music)
07:33 - Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe,
07:40 Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe,
07:42 Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe,
07:44 Kobe, Kobe, Kobe, Kobe,
07:47 - Playing one full season pro,
07:48 about to get another full season pro
07:50 and just keep building from there.
07:51 So I got to really take it day at a time.
07:53 Never let anybody tell you you can't do anything.
07:56 Like it sounds pretty simple,
07:57 but if you really think about it,
07:58 like if you believe in yourself,
08:00 you can do whatever you want.
08:01 I don't care if people told me,
08:03 I'm never gonna make it to the NBA.
08:05 I'm never gonna do this.
08:06 And they're gonna do that.
08:07 I'm gonna still try.
08:07 Like I'm gonna try it till I can't try no more.
08:09 So, you know, I want to get to the NBA
08:12 for my personal goals and you know, for my family goals.
08:15 And that's something I've always said.
08:17 You know, when I get there, you know,
08:18 I just want to make a name for myself
08:20 and just impact basketball in a different way.
08:22 And just, you know, just show the world I can do this.
08:24 So no matter what goes on,
08:26 I don't care what I went through a few years ago,
08:28 I'm gonna keep going like this.
08:29 To show people I still got it.
08:30 I just feel like I've been having to prove
08:33 a lot of people wrong.
08:33 And I feel like I'm like this side of life
08:36 where you gotta prove.
08:37 (upbeat music)
08:39 (upbeat music)
08:42 (upbeat music)
08:45 (upbeat music)
08:47 you