UCLA's Shareef O'Neal returns to the court after heart surgery

April 18 (UPI) -- Shareef O'Neal -- the son of basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal -- has returned to the court for the UCLA Bruins following heart surgery.

The Bruins star missed the entire 2018-19 season after finding out he had a heart ailment during a routine checkup with the UCLA medical staff. O'Neal, 19, was a medical redshirt last season. He underwent heart surgery to correct the irregularity in December.

O'Neal was one of the top recruits in the country before signing with the Bruins.

"Never fold never bend," O'Neal wrote for the caption on an Instagram photo of himself shooting at the gym Wednesday in Los Angeles. "#TheComeback," he added.

O'Neal's post had more than 100,000 likes by Thursday afternoon.

"Good to be back with my boys gettin that work," O'Neal wrote in a Twitter post.

O'Neal announced he was cleared to return to the court in March, posting a video of himself running. The 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward also posted photos in March showing off the scar he now has down the middle of his chest.

"Heart surgery made me nothing but better! Scars are just a way of saying you made it out the battle," O'Neal wrote for the caption on the Twitter photos of his scar.

The Bruins finished 17-16 this season and fired coach Steve Alford on New Year's Eve. UCLA hired Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin on April 9.