As many watched the final game of the NCAA Tournament’s second round, four-time NBA champion and “NBA on TNT” analyst Shaquille O’Neal shared a photo of himself in a hospital bed. Then, on Monday, TMZ reported that the once-dominant big man underwent hip replacement surgery to alleviate pain caused by a nagging injury.
Per reports, all went well, and the former LSU Tigers legend is on the mend. While there is currently no timetable as to when O’Neal will return to the set of the hit NBA show, what’s most important is he’s going to be OK.
The caption in Shaq’s post read like this …
“I’m always watching @TurnerSportsEJ and @Candace_Parker miss y’all,” O’Neal wrote.
Parker the WNBA and Tennessee Volunteers legend retweeted O’Neal’s photo with her caption reading …
“Love ya big fella.”
Former Indiana Pacers big man Roy Hibbert even chimed in on Shaq’s picture.
“U good big man?”
Nobody knew why Shaq was in the hospital until the information surfaced after Shaq posted the Tweet. Shaq is a jokester at heart so he probably planned to start a panic on social media, and he accomplished his mission as the tabloids ran with it and the speculation began.
O’Neal Recently Shed 40 Pounds In Effort To Get Healthier
During his playing days O’Neal experienced some hip discomfort that forced the 51-year-old to miss some time, but nothing to the point that it required surgery.
That was then and this is now, and O’Neal, who isn’t running up and down the court nightly anymore, recently opened about his body transformation. In a December interview with “Entertainment Tonight,” talked about his weight loss and why he felt the need to do so.
“I lost 40 pounds,” O’Neal told ET. “I need to lose 20 more, but impressive. Imma get real chiseled and do an underwear ad with my sons.”
O’Neal Says Blood Work Opened His Eyes About His Health
Affectionately known as “The Diesel,” or “Superman,” O’Neal become a business mogul in his life after basketball. With ownership in Papa John’s, Krispy Kreme, Auntie Annie’s, The Big Chicken Restaurant and a host of other business ventures, O’Neal is always on the move, making it easy to neglect his health. Shaq also said that as an athlete he didn’t really pay close attention to how he ate, but at 51 that’s changed.
After getting some blood work done in late 2022, O’Neal decided it was time for a lifestyle change, something he also mentioned in his ET segment. The focus he says was to eliminate bread and soda, and see how that would help.
“The weight just fell off. I’m not 100 percent ninja mode yet. I’m still 75 percent,” the basketball legend told “Entertainment Tonight.”
O’Neal also said taking 30-minute walks daily is a good way to begin a healthier lifestyle. An always candid and fun Shaq even has a goal in mind …
“I think I could get that Mark Wahlberg look,” he said. “I want to be known as the Black Mark Wahlberg,” he said with a smile.
Shaq “Marky Marky And The Funky Bunch” O’Neal has a nice ring to it. On Monday Night, O’Neal took to Twitter to assure all those concerned about his health that he was OK saying this in his tweet.
“To all the people who are worried and concerned. First off, let me say thank you. And lastly, no need to worry, just had to get some BBL WORK AKA #hipreplacement. Thanks and love you all. But no need to worry. And yes I’m fine.”
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