UCLA's Shareef O'Neal reflects on 1-year anniversary of heart surgery

UCLA forward Shareef O'Neal marked the one-year anniversary of his heart surgery Friday by sharing a series of photos and videos of his recovery.

O'Neal, the eldest son of Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, sat out the Bruins' entire 2018-19 season after UCLA medical staff discovered he had a serious heart condition during a routine checkup.

"A year ago today I was scared for my life," O'Neal wrote on Instagram. "A year ago today I was learning how to walk again. A year ago today I was turned into a new kid. A year ago today my life changed."

View this post on Instagram

Its 12 where I’m at so I’m gonna post this... One year has passed by since my heart surgery ... a year ago today i was scared for my life ..a year ago today I was learning how to walk again . A year ago today I was turned into a new kid . A year ago today my life changed .. I thought I was going through hell while dealing with this process but then i realized it was a blessing that it was found. I am very grateful for my health today and I will always be. I also want to thank everyone who stuck with me through this and uplifted me as I was down. I want to thank my family and friends for everything they did also .. this year has been a big struggle and I’m still finding my way back into things.. love ❤️ 1 year healthy.. 261 days since cleared to start training again.. the comeback still coming

A post shared by Shareef O'Neal (@shareefoneal) on Dec 12, 2019 at 9:02pm PST

The 19-year-old made his UCLA debut last month in the Bruins' season opener.

HEADLINES

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox

Email address

UCLA's Shareef O'Neal reflects on 1-year anniversary of heart surgery

HEADLINES

Daily Newsletter

MORE STORIES

Daily Newsletter