UCLA freshman Shareef O’Neal has been in the spotlight for a long time. The talented big man is the son of a Hall of Fame player in Shaquille O’Neal but, more than that, Shareef is a tremendous prospect that wants to forge his own path in the basketball universe.
Unfortunately, O’Neal’s debut at the college level will be delayed, as he told TMZ Sports that a recent visit with a doctor uncovered “a medical issue dealing with (his) heart” and he will undergo surgery. On Friday morning, UCLA provided an official release that ruled O’Neal out for the 2018-2019 season while he takes a redshirt year and remains fully enrolled in school.
From UCLA: “Freshman Shareef O’Neal will be sidelined for the 2018-19 season (medical). He will remain enrolled in class and on the men’s basketball team during this redshirt year…..(UCLA) completely supports Shareef and his family as he gets this issue resolved.”
— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) September 28, 2018
In addition to O’Neal saying “thank God the UCLA medical staff caught it early” in the aforementioned TMZ interview, he shed additional light on his mindset on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/SSJreef/status/1045590212091375622
In the grand scheme, O’Neal’s health is (by far) the most important thing to consider here and the young man seems to have the appropriate mindset. If the accomplished youngster is able to return to the court in the near future, his basketball ceiling is off the charts but, for now, he’ll be away from the game and, hopefully, his medical issues will subside on the heels of surgery.
