Shaquille O’Neal is reflecting on one of the darker parts of his Hall of Fame career after years of heavy painkiller and anti-inflammatory use have left him with long-term health concerns.
“It was a club sandwich, fries and two pills for 19 years,” O’Neal said on the Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard podcast. “Sometimes I couldn’t play if I didn’t take it. All it did was mask the pain… Had a lot of painkillers. I got limited kidney stuff now going on. I don’t have the full range, but I took so many painkillers that [doctors are] saying, ‘Hey, man, we don’t need you taking that stuff now. You got to be careful.’”
O’Neal admitted his doctor once told him he was addicted to painkillers, sparking “a heated discussion.”
He said he never felt high, even when taking more than prescribed.
“I would do homeboy math,” Shaq said. “If it said take one, I’m taking three.”
The Lakers great acknowledged hiding his pill use from his wife and kids, though “the trainers knew.” Even as far back as 2000, during his MVP season, he worried about anti-inflammatory dangers, citing concerns about the kidney disease that sidelined Alonzo Mourning.
Still, injuries and pain kept him on them. “I tried to stay off of them, but if I don’t take them I can’t move or play,” O’Neal said. “I was taking them. When my stomach was giving me problems I had to get the test.”
Throughout his career, the 7-foot-1 center relied on both opioids, like oxycodone, and strong nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories such as Indocin. Both can damage the kidneys and liver over time. “My kidneys are kind of just chilling out right now. I don’t want to flare ‘em back up.”
READ MORE: Former Laker Recalls Disrespectful MJ vs. Reggie Clash in Pickup Game
