Shaquille O'Neal shocked his fans with a photo shared from his hospital bed. Photo / @SHAQ / Twitter
Shaquille O’Neal has caused a stir among his fans by sharing a photo of himself in a hospital bed on Twitter.
The New York Post reports that he went into hospital for a hip replacement operation over the weekend.
But O’Neal didn’t share further details of his hospital stay, instead sharing a message to his fellow NBA on TNT hosts, Ernie Johnson and Candace Parker, alongside the photo.
“I’m always watching @TurnerSportsEJ and @Candace_Parker miss y’all,” he wrote.
In response, Parker reposted his photo and replied, “Love ya big Fella,” while at the time of writing, Johnson was yet to respond publicly,
And former NBA centre Roy Hibbert commented, asking, “U good big man?”
Countless questions from the NBA legend’s fans followed, while many shared their messages of support.
As of this morning, the snap has over 9 million views and 44,000 likes on Twitter.
O’Neal celebrated his 51st birthday last month, celebrating the milestone with a “Sneaker Ball” party at The Bank in Atlanta, Georgia on March 10.
The four-time NBA champion sported a rose-print blazer and diamond chains for the birthday bash, which also featured a black-tie dress code and a red carpet, as well as “fly kicks”.
Last year, the TNT host spoke out about his weight loss transformation, revealing his co-host Charles Barkley inspired him to make some changes to his lifestyle.
He told Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast that he “likes to create crazy motivation”.
“I was looking at myself and I had that Charles Barkley retirement body.
“I didn’t want my stomach to be over the belt anymore. So I was just like, ‘Let me go ahead and get slim.’ After that [picture] went viral, now I’ve got to live up to it.”
He was talking about a viral video clip showing off his abs, which he’d shared on Instagram.
“I was 401 pounds. Now I’m 365. I’m trying to take it back to 345. I want to have muscles everywhere, and I want to do an underwear ad with my sons [for] Fruit of the Loom, baby,” the star added, saying that he “wants to become a sex symbol”.
The basketball legend revealed he began to look at his health more seriously when a doctor’s visit confirmed he had sleep apnea.
Crowds have gathered outside SkyCity to catch a glimpse of American internet star IShowSpeed. Video / Dean Purcell