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Shareef O’Neal to Have Heart Surgery, Will Miss Freshman Season at UCLA

Shareef O’Neal, son of Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal, will miss his freshman season playing for the UCLA Bruins as he’s set to have major heart surgery. Shareef that down and told TMZ Sports that he went to the doctor for a routine checkup and “found a medical issue dealing with my heart.”

Shareef also said that he has been talking to his parents and made the decision that he won’t withdraw from UCLA while in recovery from surgery. “During rehab, I’ll be attending my classes and being a normal student,” said Shareef when asked about his future plans. He says he plans to be back on the court fully healthy for the start of the 2019-2020 season.

O’Neal was one of five top-100 signees for UCLA in its 2018 signing class, and was expected to make an early impact for the Bruins.