Former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal is known as much for his sense of humor as he is for his domination on the court, and he recently used it to help calm his 18-year-old son’s nerves before a life-saving surgery.

O’Neal’s son, Shareef O’Neal, is sitting out his freshman season on the UCLA men’s basketball team after it was discovered he had a heart ailment in September.

“Recently I found out I had a serious heart issue. I am very blessed to be here living today,” Shareef wrote on Instagram in September. “One of those moments on the court could’ve been my last breath.”

“This is just a small bump on the road and I gotta push through it,” he continued. “I am very down about not being able to do [the] 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.”

During a recent interview on the Dan Patrick Show, O’Neal opened up about Shareef’s surgery, and how he did his best to comfort his son in the moments before he was to head into the operating room.

“He was very scared. You know, I always said to myself it’s stories that get me to calm down and get me to the next level,” O’Neal said. “So right before the surgery, he was scared and he had a little tear in his eye.”

“I told him he should be,” O’Neal said. “But when you go in that room, you’re gonna meet a young lady named ‘Ana Sthesia’ and you won’t remember anything!”

“Her name’s ‘Ana Sthesia’  and she’s gonna kiss you,” he said while laughing, “You’ll wake up and everything will be fine.”

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Turns out, Shareef woke up and didn’t remember a thing, just like his father had told him. O’Neal also said that because he had gone through 10 surgeries himself, Shareef felt a little more confident he would be able to get through it too.

After the operation, Shareef took to Twitter and posted a picture of himself in the hospital bed.

“I made it, thank you for all the love and support!” he wrote in the tweet. “I really appreciate all your thoughts and prayers, that’s what helped me through this surgery. I’m on the road to recovery, and I’ll be back soon… better than ever.”

Shareef is aiming to rejoin the basketball team next season.