{"id":64901,"date":"2025-08-13T11:08:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T11:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/64901\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T11:08:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T11:08:09","slug":"shaquille-oneal-opens-up-on-painkiller-addiction-that-he-hid-from-his-family-throughout-nba-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/64901\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaquille O’Neal opens up on painkiller addiction that he hid from his family throughout NBA career"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JAMES COHEN, SPORTS REPORTER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 15:32 EDT, 12 August 2025 | Updated: 15:33 EDT, 12 August 2025 <\/p>\n

Shaquille O’Neal has has opened up on his addiction to painkillers which he hid from his family throughout his NBA<\/a> career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The former Los Angeles<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

O’Neal was a guest on the ‘Armchair Expert’<\/a> 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’.<\/p>\n

The 53-year-old confirmed that he did, before Shepard continued:\u00a0‘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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘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?’<\/p>\n

\"Shaquille <\/p>\n

Shaquille O’Neal has has opened up on his addiction to painkillers during his NBA career<\/p>\n

\"During <\/p>\n

During a recent podcast appearance, O’Neal admitted that he hid the addiction from his family<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

‘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.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.’<\/p>\n

O’Neal previously opened up about the addiction during an interview with GQ back in 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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?<\/p>\n

‘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.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Then, ‘All those painkillers you were taking, bro? Your kidneys are kind of weak. No more painkillers.’ I was dependent upon painkillers \u2014 not addicted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Certain days when I couldn’t move, I just popped one or two, just to get me going. But I’m off that now.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"O'Neal <\/p>\n

O’Neal went on to become a four-time NBA champion before retiring in 2011<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, O’Neal made headlines last month after he\u00a0reignited his feud with Rudy Gobert after admitting he ‘f***ing hates’ the Minnesota Timberwolves star.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

‘I f***ing hate Rudy Gobert,’ O’Neal said on the latest episode of his ‘Big Podcast’.<\/p>\n

‘Because that motherf***er making $250m [and] he don\u2019t deserve it, dawg. F*** that.<\/p>\n

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