“I’d Take Painkillers And Have Blood In The Bathroom”: Shaquille O’Neal Reveals Damning Use Of Heavy Medication

Shaquille O’Neal is by far one of the heaviest players to have played in the NBA while also being one of the tallest. At his heaviest, following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 3rd straight tile win in 2002, Shaq was at a whopping 395 pounds, according to him. 

One of Kobe Bryant’s biggest gripes with ‘The Big Aristotle’ was that he didn’t put in a ton a of effort when it came to practice and conditioning. Bryant even claimed had he done so, they would’ve won 12 championships alongside one another. 

Though, with that kind of size and girth, it was impossible to stop O’Neal without aggressively fouling him. And not to mention, he had quite the handy 5-foot floater in his package along with great footwork so his offensive game wasn’t just him being this amalgamation of an unstoppable force and immovable object.

Also read: “They Call Me and Kenny Smith, Six”: Shaquille O’Neal Claps Back at Charles Barkley Who Claims to be Hired for his Good Looks

Shaquille O’Neal abused painkillers during his playing career 

Carrying all that weight around at his height most certainly took a toll on his physical health. On top of having to lug all that weight around, he had to go out and drop 28-32 points a night while getting beaten down at the same time. 

This led to him popping painkillers as a pre-game routine. He did it so often that at times, he would not be able to play without having one or two. 

“I could have a good game but if I didn’t take the painkillers, I wouldn’t have a great game. Sometimes I’d take it and I’d be bleeding. There would be blood but when you’re a warrior and trying to win, nothing matters and nobody cares,” said Shaq.

Given the fact that he had a reputation to hold up as the most dominant force in the NBA, it’s understandable as to why he stopped caring about his own health in order to maintain that level of dominance 

Shaq’s body finally gave out in Year 19 

After a short stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Shaquille O’Neal would go on to sign a 2-year deal with the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2010. He would however, not get to play out the second year of his contract as he would suffer an inflamed Achilles tendon. 

Doc Rivers, the Celts head coach at the time, voiced his concern over it throughout that 2010-11 season. He would play merely 37 games that season and 2 games in the Playoffs before calling it a career after suffering repeatedly toe and Achilles injuries.

Also read: “A 2 Year Old is That Big?”: 7ft 1″ Shaquille O’Neal Narrated How Mother Lucille Convinced a Bus Driver to Let Him Ride for Free