Shaquille O'Neal opens up on painkiller addiction that he hid from his family throughout NBA career
The former Los Angeles Laker has been open about his use of the drug during his days on the court and discussed the topic again during a podcast appearance.
O'Neal was a guest on the 'Armchair Expert' podcast hosted by Dax Shepard, who said to the four-time NBA champion: 'You had to be on pain pills to play. You had to'.
The 53-year-old confirmed that he did, before Shepard continued: 'You were playing through so many injuries. Again, back to this thing where I'm suspicious that for you to admit you have any weakness would be too painful.
'You're just keeping it all in, right? You're just playing through everything. You have stuff that's going on and yeah, you had to be on pain pills.
'How did that not grab you? Or did it grab you a little bit? Have you ever been scared about any of that addiction wise?'
O'Neal responded: 'I have a question. Is addicting for the chemical effect or are you just taking it? Because I was having a heated discussion with my doctors like, 'You were addicted.' But I didn't feel high. So I didn't know that was addiction.
'I don't think I was suffering mentally. I think if I had a knack, I would take it because I don't want to feel that knack because we need this game.'
The conversation then turned to whether he hid his drug abuse. O'Neal revealed: 'The trainers knew. I mean, I'm not telling my wife or my kids or my boys.'
O'Neal previously opened up about the addiction during an interview with GQ back in 2022.
Back then, he said: 'When you play, you go to the doctor to get checked and a physical, right? But I ain't played in 11, years so if I'm not playing, what would I go to the doctor for, right?
'So when I went back to the doctor there was some stuff I never even knew. They give you those certain words: 'Hey man, you got sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can cause hypertension or strokes, you could die.' I said, 'What?' 'You could die.' So now I've got to sleep with a sleep machine.'
'Then, 'All those painkillers you were taking, bro? Your kidneys are kind of weak. No more painkillers.' I was dependent upon painkillers — not addicted.
'Certain days when I couldn't move, I just popped one or two, just to get me going. But I'm off that now.'
Meanwhile, O'Neal made headlines last month after he reignited his feud with Rudy Gobert after admitting he 'f***ing hates' the Minnesota Timberwolves star.
O'Neal and Gobert are not the best of friends after trading insults through the media for a number of years, with the NBA Hall of Famer brutally calling his fellow center 'the worst player of all time' last year.
And now Shaq has taken aim at his bitter nemesis once again after doubling down on the claim that he doesn't deserve his $250million Minnesota contract.
'I f***ing hate Rudy Gobert,' O'Neal said on the latest episode of his 'Big Podcast'.
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