Shaq sparks concern with hospital bed photo

Fans offered their prayers and well wishes on social media

Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal sparked concerns about his health on Sunday when he tweeted a photo of himself from a hospital bed.

O’Neal's tweet was addressed to NBA broadcaster Ernie Johnson and WNBA superstar Candace Parker, both of whom are taking part in March Madness coverage on various TV channels. However, what O’Neal was doing in the hospital was troubling for fans of the former Los Angeles Lakers star.

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Shaquille O'Neal, AKA DJ Diesel, performs during Late Night at the Phog at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, Oct. 14, 2022. (Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports)

While prayers were up for the big man, Awful Announcing’s Ken Fang relayed the message Johnson said during the tournament broadcast. Johnson said O’Neal was having hip replacement surgery.

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O’Neal is only 51 years old, but while it appeared he has slimmed down from his playing days, his hip took a little bit too much wear and tear. At his peak, the NBA center was 325 pounds standing at 7-foot-1. He told Logan Paul last year he ballooned up to 401 pounds.

Shaquille O'Neal attends the game between the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks at Toyota Center in Houston Dec. 23, 2033 (Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

In December, O’Neal spoke about losing weight in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

"A friend of mine called me and said, ‘You’re fat,’ and she gave me this guy’s name, and he did some blood work," he said at the time. "He was saying, ‘You can do this, you can’t do that, [eat] more vegetables, [your] iron’s low.’

TV analyst Shaquille O'Neal looks on beforeg game two of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics at Chase Center in San Fransisco June 5, 2022. (Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports)

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"Once I just started changing those certain things, it dropped. It’s all about eating right."

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